Regional report, Northeast of Antioquia and South of Bolívar
| Autor | Alejandra Garzón Valero |
| Cargo del Autor | Politóloga, comunicadora social y periodista. Autora del capítulo sobre Nordeste Antioqueño y Sur de Bolívar |
| Páginas | 693-733 |
CHAPTER 5
REGIONAL REPORT NORTHEASTERN ANTIOQUIA AND THE
SOUTH OF BOLÍVAR
Alejandra Garzón Valero1
INTRODUCTION
is report reconstructs the context of two regions of the country, to wit, Northeastern Antioquia and
the South of Bolívar. is study seeks to depict the economic, political, social, cultural and geographic
conditions in which the agents related to the armed conict in Colombia acted. In this manner, this do-
cument focuses on describing the dierent dynamics lived in this area of the country for the period from
1998 to 2014.
In the following analysis we discard the conception of the region2 as a political-administrative
entity. Northeastern Antioquia and the South of Bolívar are studied as one single unit of analysis. ey
are understood as one territorial space that acquires an identity as a region through the action of the
dierent agents, the development of crucial dynamics as drug tracking and mining, and the methods
of State intervention.
Methodological Approach
At methodological level, we decided to generate a periodization dierent to the one dened for the na-
tional level3. In this manner, we chose three periods that follow a chronologic order of the dynamics of
the armed conict in this area of the country, determined by the presence and consolidation of dierent
illegal armed groups and the Public Force, the latter in compliance with its constitutional mandate.
e denition of the rst period (1998 to 2000) is based on the development of the armed con-
frontation between guerrillas and self-defense groups. e second period (2000 to 2006) begins with the
dialogues between ELN and the government of Andres Pastrana, and ends with the demobilization of
Bolívar Central Block of the AUC.
1 Politóloga, comunicadora social y periodista. Autora del capítulo sobre Nordeste Antioqueño y Sur de Bolívar.
2 Constitutionally established but not legally developed, it makes reference to the union of two or more departments, which is
more in line with the objectives of the document.
3 Refer to chapter 1 of this book.
694 Regional report northeastern Antioquia and the south of Bolívarar
Finally, this report closes with the period of 2007 a 2014, when new illegal armed groups star-
ted to arise and expand throughout the region, and ends with the intensication of operations by the
Military Forces as representative of the State to recover total control of the territory. It is worth noting
that these periods contrast with the great institutional and military eorts made to stop violence and
bring about peace.
ANALYSIS PER CRITICAL JUNCTURES
First critical juncture 1998-2000
e region called “northeastern Antioquia and south of Bolívar” is located in the center-east of Colombia
and is composed of 25 municipalities4 belonging to two departments with an estimated population by
year 2000 of 347,621 inhabitants5. is region was from 1998 to 2000 a land of strong colonization with
a weak presence of the State and a privileged geographical location, in which the natural terrain features
and the diculties for construction of communication roads helped keep it isolated and excluded from
the economic and political dynamics of each of their corresponding departments. is same condition of
the land made dicult the development of territorial control operations by the Military Forces6.
Description of the Structural Elements of the Context
South of Bolívar
is section refers to a southern subregion of the Department of Bolívar. Such subregion is framed by
rivers Magdalena to the east, Cauca to the west, Cimitarra to the south and Brazo de Loba to the north.
About 201,092 people7 live in the area and are distributed in the municipalities of Morales, Simití, San
Martín de Loba, Barranco de Loba, Achí, San Pablo, Río Viejo, Norosí, Santa Rosa del Sur, Cantagallo,
Tiquisio, Montecristo, El Peñón, Arenal del Sur, Regidor, Altos del Rosario and San Jacinto del Cauca.
Its geography is the result of a broken relief for the Cordillera Oriental (East Andes), presenting
also a high number of water tributaries, including rivers and streams. e strategic value of the south of
Bolívar is geographically determined by the forested massif Serranía de San Lucas, and by the access from
there to river Magdalena, the east of the department of Antioquia and the Atlantic Coast.
e characteristics of this sub-region of Magdalena Medio are as follows:
the similar models of settlement by ‘migrating masses’, habitat of Magdalena river and its central valley
under one thousand meters above sea level, a cultural world shared between the diversity of subcultures
and analogous and very accentuated forms of violence that are expressed today in armed struggles for
territory cont rol8.
4 Amal, Yalí, Anorí, Cisneros, Segovia, Remedios, Yolombó, Vegachí, San Roque and Santo Domingo, in the department
of Antioquia, and Morales, Simití, San Martín de Loba, Barranco de Loba, Achí, San Pablo, Río Viejo-Norosí, Santa Rosa del
Sur, Cantagallo, Tiquisio, Montecristo, El Peñón, Arenal del Sur, Regidor, Altos del Rosario and San Jacinto del Cauca, in the
department of Bolívar.
5 Forecast of the DANE for 2000. See Departamento Administrativo Nacional de Estadística, 1993.
6 See the national context in the following section.
7 Forecast of the DANE for 2000. See Departamento Administrativo Nacional de Estadística, 1993.
8 Programa de Desarrollo y Paz en el Magdalena Medio, 1996, p. 13.
Regional report northeastern Antioquia and the south of Bolívar 695
e south of Bolívar has been mainly considered as an oil region in the area bordering with Santander
and Antioquia, a livestock region in the area of the valley irrigating Magdalena River and a cacao and
coconut region towards the mountainous area. Nevertheless, this region has suered changes in its
economic determination. On the one hand, it stopped being the main crude oil producer (it was repla-
ced by the Eastern Plains). On the other hand, the area with palm crops spread and took land from the
livestock area9.
In the area there is also a type of extraction economy that revolves around gold. Additionally, this
region has been used during the last three decades to boost illegal businesses such as forest clearing, coca
planting and illegal mining exploitations10.
It is important to highlight that the region, in spite of consolidating as a center of economic
development, has not been able to reect this condition on overcoming poverty and misery. In this
manner, the INBI11 was 70% in 2000, which indicated the low levels of life quality, that is, the existence
of overcrowding conditions, school absenteeism and poor access to public services in a signicant part
of the population12.
As for politics, most of local politicians articulated in subgroups of liberalism,13 and the minority
belongs to movements of conservative convergence.14 “For these local politicians it was more important
establishing connections with the real powers of stockbreeders, oil dealers, main highway builders, palm
tree businessmen, and groups of illegal or illegal military power”15.
e south of Bolívar has been subject to guerrilla inuence for several years, thus, having a strong
representation of armed actors. For this period, several events of corruption occurred in the transactions
of public money: royalties of oil and gold, service contracts, leverages on co-nancing funds and pay-
ments to armed groups, among others16.
Northeastern Antioquia
e subregion of Northeastern Antioquia is located on the eastern border of the East Andes, at the
southwest of Serranía de San Lucas and between rivers Alicante, Nus, Nechí and Porce. It comprises ten
municipalities where about 165,959 people lived. In this period, 52% of the population (86,120 inhabi-
tants) lives in the rural areas of the municipalities, which reects more demographic concentration in
rural areas17.
is region borders southeastern Antioquia to the south, Cordoba and the south of Bolívar to the
north, Urabá to the west and Magdalena Medio to the east. e northeast comprises the valley of Nechí
until the vicinity of the municipality of Nechí, in Bajo Cauca, and from there until the foothill of Magda-
lena Medio, with lands especially suitable for forests.
9 Programa de Desarrollo y Paz en el Magdalena Medio, 2008, p. 54.
10 Viloria de la Hoz, 2009, p. 90.
11 Index of Unsatised Basic Needs.
12 Forecast of the DANE for 2000. See Departamento Administrativo Nacional de Estadística, 1993.
13 Cimitarra, El Carmen, Landazuri, Simacota, Puerto Berrío y San Pablo.
14 Peñón, Gamarra, Cantagallo.
15 Misión de Observación Electoral (MOE), 2008, p. 78-79.
16 Programa de Desarrollo y Paz en el Magdalena Medio, 1996, p. 94.
17 Forecast of the DANE for 2000. See Departamento Administrativo Nacional de Estadística, 1993.
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