“We Work Hard to Leave the Past Behind, We Really Do.”
A visit to Comuna 13, the former nest of paramilitaries, guerillas, and criminal gangs in Medellín, Colombia.
“I grew up here; I will tell you everything. You will have a good tour, I promise! And I even let you have a glimpse into my private life. But if you do not behave respectfully with the locals, I swear I will not say anything.” — started the tour Stevin, a young guy at the beginning of his twenties, who guided us through the district “Comuna 13” of Medellin.
Some years ago, Comuna 13 was known as the most dangerous district of the city with the highest homicide rate globally: Medellín in Colombia.
I quickly understood that he was serious and from then on, I was “hanging on his every word.” We were walking behind Stevin till he stopped and said, “There was a checkpoint here and a curfew in place. Everybody had to get back home by 7 pm”.
A Brief History of Colombia’s Guerrilla Organizations
In the middle of the 20th century, a rivalry between Liberals and Conservatives began to unfold. During the 10-year civil war (1948–1958), “The Violence” (La Violencia), hundreds of thousands of people died. The origins of today’s guerrilla wars can be traced back to 1958, when the two great parties, the Conservatives and the Liberals, agreed to divide the power among themselves, omitting the smaller parties. These small political groups were left without power and formed the core of the guerrilla movements.
The FARC (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia) was the first of them in 1964, supported by the most vulnerable part of society who wanted social equality. Soon after, it was followed by the ELN, the National Liberation Army, Colombia’s second-largest guerrilla organization. The guerillas’ main targets were the wealthy landowners, businessmen, politicians, and other prominent persons. They are not mobs but well-organized, trained military groups with excellent training and good weapons. They financed their activities from kidnap and ransom, illegal mining, and drug trafficking.
The M-19 guerrilla movement added to that in the 70s. The government tried several times to negotiate with the guerillas and offered legal representation in the parliament if they put down the weapons. It failed so many times, and murders continued.
The 1980s and 1990s were the period of extreme violence in Medellín. Bombs and grenades exploded, and countless innocent people died. There was hardly anybody who did not lose someone. The whole country was boiling in revenge.
By the end of the 1990s, most of the population wanted international intervention, even if it involved the arrival of UN troops. There is no other country with as many internal refugees in the world as in Colombia, 4 million. That is, every 10th resident had to leave their home.
In addition to guerrillas, the paramilitary groups are the other armed formations that play a crucial role in domestic politics. They acted as self-defense groups for the wealthy people against guerrillas. But they also served the drug barons. The Castano brothers founded the paramilitaries whose father was killed by the FARC guerrillas. So their motivation was to take revenge. Their goal was to prevent the civilian population, especially rural impoverished farmers from becoming guerrillas, often killing them.
After 9/11/2001, the United Stated added the Colombian guerrillas to their list of the most dangerous terrorist groups.
Comuna 13 Became A Criminal Activity Hub
In the 1970s and 1980s, millions of Columbians were victims of forced displacement due to the armed conflict between the FARC guerilla group, paramilitaries, and guerillas. Many of them found refuge in Comuna 13 and built their homes with wood, plastic, clay, cardboard, aluminum cans, or whatever possible.
Poverty and despair shaped this district. So it was pretty easy for criminal gangs to take over the community and intimidate the inhabitants. They could do that quite freely, as even the police could not penetrate the district. It was a refuge for those trying to escape the authorities.
Kidnap ransom was one of their primary source of income. Anybody could be a victim; who was walking or biking to school, to work, or who was driving. Then they quickly transferred the victim to Comuna 13, locked him up in a house or basement then called the family to pay. Locals were threatened, so they kept quiet.
Drugs always played a significant role in Medellín. It is the largest drug distribution center in South America, with direct access to the Panama Canal and the United States.
“If you only come to Colombia to grab some cheap cocaine, better not come at all…. It is the cocaine that destroyed this country.”
The Lines of Death
President Uribe dedicated his governance to make peace in Colombia after his election in 2002. On 16th October 2002, President Alvaro Uribe successfully ordered the Orion military operation to end the violence and terror caused by all the criminal groups for good.
But only a few years later, some rival drug cartels put their foot in again. So it took a while until Comuna 13 was able to go through a dramatic social and cultural transformation. Each armed group claimed its own neighborhood, where other guerilla groups did not interfere.
Over the years, disputes and clashes over territorial control begun, and they started to mark “lines of death” between the territories that restricted passage from one neighborhood to the other.
“I lost two of my best friends because of that crossing line. They just passed it and were shot. We were only teenagers.” — Stevin is still highly affected by that, which puts us also under deep emotions and sympathy.
“I’m also doing this for them. I was 11 when I was walking down this street, and they stopped me exactly here. I got the line too. The first one. Then came the second and the third. My life was blocked from three sides for four years. It was awful…”
Members of the armed groups were often teenagers who found no other way to escape poverty or whose family members were killed by paramilitaries and then joined the guerillas for revenge.
Killing people became a way of surviving and making money. But if something went wrong, he could pay with his and his family’s life. Small children of 7 years were carrying guns. Women also joined and participated actively or did sexual services.
“None of my friends who joined any armed groups are alive today.”
We continue climbing up the steep road, passing by small restaurants and souvenir shops. The apartments look plain and shabby, but it is hard to imagine that this was the crime scene and where a murder was a daily business. It was unsafe to go to work and for children to go to school.
The guerillas threatened even doctors and nurses in the nearby hospital for treating the paramilitaries. They got a weapon against their heads to prioritize the member of the guerillas, although there were more urgent cases. Residents could be killed just because of refusing to join the armed group or just because a member of the armed group liked his girlfriend.
People lived in trauma, and at some point, they became immune to seeing a dead body in the street.
Towards Peace and Non-Violence
President Uribe offered a peace agreement to the various players. The paramilitaries, the criminal gangs, and in 2016 after 50 years, concluded a historic agreement with the FARC. If they stop killing people and committing a crime, they get social support.
Paramilitary groups who gave up their weapons participated in the government’s integration program. But many only found small jobs or became unemployed and turned to violence again.
After the peace agreements, Stevin and many others got a new chance. Also, the only public escalator in South America was installed in the poor neighborhood of Comuna 13. But why? To make it safe and attract visitors from all over the world. Comuna 8 is another underprivileged district, which got a tram and a cable car for the same reason. Since then, it became safer.
The colorful graffiti covering the walls all around in Communa 13 have deep meanings. They are symbols of the dark past and a constant reminder, and a sign of hope for a brighter future.
The gangs had to give up kidnap and robbery, so they started to collect tax and were still involved in the cocaine business. Those who have business activity, they must pay. In return for the tax, they protect Comuna 13.
“I’m very optimistic. Look, I’m so extremely proud. Look at this house…..I managed to buy it myself for my mother. I don’t want to move from here. I want that my children grow up here in safety. I have to pay 2% of my salary to the gangsters controlling this district as protection money. But I wouldn’t mind paying half of it if I can only live in safety. We work hard to leave the past behind; we really do.”
Colombia is still one of the most dangerous countries in the world for journalists investigating the relationship between politicians and drug traffickers. But a lot has changed in the past years.
Cocaine cultivation and smuggling are still lucrative today, with homicides less frequent and no longer on the cover. Today, Colombia is a lot safer than before. People can travel between the cities like Bogota, Cali, Medellín without any issue; they go for an outing to the countryside, which was impossible in the 2000s.
Thank you for reading.
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