Residents of 10 villages in Antioquia, Colombia are confined to their homes by violence.
Clashes yesterday between Clan del Golfo and FARC dissidents aligned with “Calarcá Córdoba” in Briceño, Antioquia, left the residents of 10 villages confined to their homes.
Speaking with journalists, Briceño’s Secretary of Government said law enforcement struggled to enter the region due to the high density of antipersonnel mines.
The risk to soldiers is real. In 2025, 44 soldiers/members of law enforcement were killed in the department of Antioquia, the highest total in 12 years.
On Saturday, a group of people opened fire on a military base in Anorí, a few hours’ drive away from the villages currently locked down by violence. There are conflicting reports about whether this is Clan del Golfo or Frente 36 (aligned with Calarcá).
Incidents like these are common in Northern Antioquia, the heart of a territorial conflict between Clan del Golfo and the ELN (and, if this weekend is any indication, FARC dissidents as well).
The Peace and Reconciliation Foundation (PARES) reports a total of 46 armed clashes in Antioquia in 2025, 34 between armed groups and 12 directed at the state.
This indicates that conflict in the region is fundamentally about the power dynamics between groups, not a battle against state control (which is already limited).
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