A former advisor on USAID-funded projects in northwest Colombia said: “Where these social groups were, now they [Gaitanist Self-Defense Forces of Colombia, or EGC] are the ones who do it. For the groups, it has been a good thing, an opportunity for them to strengthen themselves a lot more."

Date: 2/26

Region: Latin America & Caribbean

Country: Colombia

Topic: Peacebuilding & Stabilization

Policy Lens: Security & Resilience

Entry Type: Field Observation

Additional Context: This quote was collected as part of The Aid Report's original reporting found in the Devex featured article "USAID moves out, gangs move in: The cost of aid cuts in Colombia." Our journalist traced the unraveling of years of prevention work in Colombia to better understand how gangs and armed groups were quick to exploit the vacuum left behind when this work was cancelled.

This quote is attributed to Ramiro Rodríguez Padilla, who was formerly a legal adviser and organizer at both the Chocó Solidarity Inter-ethnic Forum, or FISCH, and the Greater Community Council of the Integral Peasant Association of the Middle Atrato, or COCOMACIA. Both of these organizations used to receive funding from USAID.

The EGC is the most powerful armed entity in Chocó, which was designated a terrorist organization by the White House last December. The group operates in both rural and urban areas, profiting from drug trafficking, extortion, and illegal gold mining.

Source: Devex