"The peremptory order caught him out of the house. When he returned, his family and most of his neighbors had already fled. He hurried to pack two changes of clothes in the first bag he found and, before setting off on his motorcycle, he tied a white cloth to a long pole: It was a flag as a sign of peace, to avoid any attacks on the three-hour journey, says the social leader, who requests anonymity."
"Far from what happens in touristy Cartagena de Indias, the capital of Bolivar, located about 250 kilometers (155 miles) to the north, the south of the department is a prize fought over by illegal armed organizations. The incentive to control it is no less significant: according to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, it is the region of Colombia with the fourth-highest coca production (37,524 hectares planted in 2023) and the third-most open-pit gold mining."
"He sped down the track along which cocoa crops and gold from the mines are transported. Further ahead, on the road leading to the urban center of Arenal, in the south of the department of Bolivar, he caught up with the convoy: 500 families fleeing the war between the National Liberation Army (ELN) the oldest active guerrilla group in the world and the Gulf Clan, the most powerful armed group in Colombia."
An armed confrontation between the National Liberation Army (ELN) and the Gulf Clan has forced hundreds of families to flee southern Bolívar. A convoy of about 500 families evacuated after orders; some exiles have been displaced for 12 days. The region ranks fourth in coca cultivation (37,524 hectares in 2023) and has the third-most open‑pit gold mining, much of it unpermitted. Estimates indicate more than four tons of gold produced yearly, worth roughly $420 million. Control of the San Lucas foothills and Magdalena River corridor drives the dispute. The Gulf Clan and ELN recently engaged in a first round of peace talks with the government.
Read at english.elpais.com
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