Paramilitarism in the Eje Cafetero. Genesis, Repertoires and Impacts of Silenced Violence

Abstract

The Eje Cafetero is often considered a haven of peace; however, the history of violence in the region demystifies this narrative. Through statistical analysis of paramilitary repertoires together with extensive documentary work, the article interprets the milestones of paramilitarism. It also helps to dismantle the previous narrative and proposes a model for interpreting violence in the region. Paramilitary groups, drug traffickers, and economic and political sectors have converged in a space where the legal and illegal intertwine and generate violent practices that persist in the territory. In this context, it is important to analyze some of the continuities and mutations of paramilitary practices that persist in organized crime structures such as La Cordillera. Such practices have come to modify the mental schemes of a society that uses the image of progress to the detriment of the recognition of violence and the relationships that sustain it.