--- title: Total War is ON in Colombia description: "Colombia’s new president promises “total war” against cartels, guerrillas, and gangs. Explore the country’s escalating violence, failed peace efforts, Bukele-inspired crackdown, and whether this high-stakes strategy can restore order. Stay ahead of global conflicts with WarFronts Weekly. Get sharp, no-nonsense military analysis straight to your inbox. Subscribe: https://fronts.co/warfronts-weekly Get full conflict briefings, and members-only analysis at fronts.co https://fronts.co Join the community and discuss current flashpoints in real time: https://www.reddit.com/r/frontsco Love the content? Explore Simon's other YouTube channels: Megaprojects: https://www.youtube.com/@megaprojects9649 SideProjects: https://www.youtube.com/@Sideprojects Into The Shadows: https://www.youtube.com/@IntotheShadows Today I Found Out: https://www.youtube.com/@TodayIFoundOut Brain Blaze: https://www.youtube.com/@brainblaze6526 Casual Criminalist: https://www.youtube.com/@TheCasualCriminalist Decoding the Unknown: https://www.youtube.com/@decodingtheunknown2373 Places: https://www.youtube.com/@Places302 Celestium: https://www.youtube.com/@celestium1234 HomeFronts: https://www.youtube.com/@homefronts Simon on social: Twitter: https://twitter.com/SimonWhistler Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/simonwhistler/ Sources https://www.westword.com/news/the-hit-man-nobody-knows-5066904/ https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20260801-11-injured-in-colombia-bombing-days-before-presidential-inauguration https://www.nrc.no/news/2026/catatumbo-colombia-100000-displaced-after-a-year-of-brutal-conflict https://www.sur.org.co/crisis-humanitaria-en-el-catatumbo-a-un-ano-de-la-escalada-eln-v-s-frente-33/ https://www.semana.com/politica/articulo/miguel-uribe-turbay-vicky-davila-y-gustavo-bolivar-encabezan-la-intencion-de-voto-para-el-2026-segun-encuesta-de-guarumo-ecoanalitica/202557/ https://x.com/petrogustavo/status/2063648979103957427 https://www.wola.org/analysis/mass-incarceration-and-democratic-deterioration-three-years-of-the-state-of-exception-in-el-salvador/ https://www.riotimesonline.com/bukele-approval-94-percent-record/ https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2026/07/el-salvador-el-costo-humano-del-regimen-de-excepcion-podria-constituir-crimenes-de-lesa-humanidad/ https://latinamericanpost.com/americas/el-salvador-emergency-rule-meets-a-growing-human-rights-reckoning/ https://www.elespectador.com/colombia-20/paz-y-memoria/grupos-armados-en-colombia-suman-27000-integrantes-estas-son-las-cifras-de-crecimiento-de-disidencias-clan-del-golfo-y-eln/ https://www.justice.gov/usao-edny/pr/leader-clan-del-golfo-colombian-drug-cartel-and-terrorist-organization-charged https://www.eltiempo.com/justicia/investigacion/los-grupos-armados-sumaron-5-000-integrantes-en-el-ultimo-ano-y-ya-estan-en-mas-de-500-municipios-contraloria-3566367 https://www.indexmundi.com/facts/colombia/homicide-rate https://americasquarterly.org/fulltextarticle/medellin-front-line-of-colombias-challenges/ https://www.vanguardia.com/colombia/2025/11/09/helicopteros-varados-contratos-fallidos-y-silencio-oficial-crisis-en-la-aviacion-del-ejercito/ https://www.eltiempo.com/politica/abelardo-de-la-espriella/asi-sera-la-posesion-del-presidente-electo-abelardo-de-la-espriella-lugar-hora-invitados-y-todo-lo-que-se-sabe-de-la-ceremonia-3575747 https://en.mercopress.com/2026/07/14/colombia-petro-bars-military-sites-for-inauguration-de-la-espriella-says-he-will-go-ahead https://www.nbcnews.com/world/latin-america/colombia-president-elect-abelardo-de-la-espriella-gustavo-petro-coup-rcna353365 https://www.cnbc.com/2025/10/27/argentinas-midterm-election-hands-landslide-win-to-mileis-libertarian-overhaul.html https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/pro-trump-lawyer-de-la-espriella-pulls-ahead-in-colombias-presidential-race-with-promise-of-crime-crackdown https://www.infobae.com/colombia/2026/03/26/de-la-espriella-propone-diez-mega-carceles-concesionadas-y-eliminar-el-inpec-para-enfrentar-la-crisis-carcelaria-en-colombia-asi-se-van-a-financiar/ https://gaceta.es/iberosfera/la-jep-imputa-a-27-terroristas-de-las-farc-por-crimenes-de-guerra-y-lesa-humanidad-en-colombia-20260805-1124/?scroll-event=true" url: https://fronts.co/videos/warfronts-oiqzcjmkmr8.md canonical: https://fronts.co/videos/warfronts-oiqzcjmkmr8/ datePublished: 2026-08-06T18:00:34.000Z dateModified: 2026-08-06T18:00:34.000Z author: - name: Fronts Staff url: https://fronts.co/authors/fronts-team/ publisher: Fronts type: NewsArticle language: en access: members isAccessibleForFree: false tokens: 1076 --- Colombia’s new president promises “total war” against cartels, guerrillas, and gangs. Explore the country’s escalating violence, failed peace efforts, Bukele-inspired crackdown, and whether this high-stakes strategy can restore order. Stay ahead of global conflicts with WarFronts Weekly. Get sharp, no-nonsense military analysis straight to your inbox. Subscribe: https://fronts.co/warfronts-weekly Get full conflict briefings, and members-only analysis at fronts.co https://fronts.co Join the community and discuss current flashpoints in real time: https://www.reddit.com/r/frontsco Love the content? Explore Simon's other YouTube channels: Megaprojects: https://www.youtube.com/@megaprojects9649 SideProjects: https://www.youtube.com/@Sideprojects Into The Shadows: https://www.youtube.com/@IntotheShadows Today I Found Out: https://www.youtube.com/@TodayIFoundOut Brain Blaze: https://www.youtube.com/@brainblaze6526 Casual Criminalist: https://www.youtube.com/@TheCasualCriminalist Decoding the Unknown: https://www.youtube.com/@decodingtheunknown2373 Places: https://www.youtube.com/@Places302 Celestium: https://www.youtube.com/@celestium1234 HomeFronts: https://www.youtube.com/@homefronts Simon on social: Twitter: https://twitter.com/SimonWhistler Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/simonwhistler/ Sources https://www.westword.com/news/the-hit-man-nobody-knows-5066904/ https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20260801-11-injured-in-colombia-bombing-days-before-presidential-inauguration https://www.nrc.no/news/2026/catatumbo-colombia-100000-displaced-after-a-year-of-brutal-conflict https://www.sur.org.co/crisis-humanitaria-en-el-catatumbo-a-un-ano-de-la-escalada-eln-v-s-frente-33/ https://www.semana.com/politica/articulo/miguel-uribe-turbay-vicky-davila-y-gustavo-bolivar-encabezan-la-intencion-de-voto-para-el-2026-segun-encuesta-de-guarumo-ecoanalitica/202557/ https://x.com/petrogustavo/status/2063648979103957427 https://www.wola.org/analysis/mass-incarceration-and-democratic-deterioration-three-years-of-the-state-of-exception-in-el-salvador/ https://www.riotimesonline.com/bukele-approval-94-percent-record/ https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2026/07/el-salvador-el-costo-humano-del-regimen-de-excepcion-podria-constituir-crimenes-de-lesa-humanidad/ https://latinamericanpost.com/americas/el-salvador-emergency-rule-meets-a-growing-human-rights-reckoning/ https://www.elespectador.com/colombia-20/paz-y-memoria/grupos-armados-en-colombia-suman-27000-integrantes-estas-son-las-cifras-de-crecimiento-de-disidencias-clan-del-golfo-y-eln/ https://www.justice.gov/usao-edny/pr/leader-clan-del-golfo-colombian-drug-cartel-and-terrorist-organization-charged https://www.eltiempo.com/justicia/investigacion/los-grupos-armados-sumaron-5-000-integrantes-en-el-ultimo-ano-y-ya-estan-en-mas-de-500-municipios-contraloria-3566367 https://www.indexmundi.com/facts/colombia/homicide-rate https://americasquarterly.org/fulltextarticle/medellin-front-line-of-colombias-challenges/ https://www.vanguardia.com/colombia/2025/11/09/helicopteros-varados-contratos-fallidos-y-silencio-oficial-crisis-en-la-aviacion-del-ejercito/ https://www.eltiempo.com/politica/abelardo-de-la-espriella/asi-sera-la-posesion-del-presidente-electo-abelardo-de-la-espriella-lugar-hora-invitados-y-todo-lo-que-se-sabe-de-la-ceremonia-3575747 https://en.mercopress.com/2026/07/14/colombia-petro-bars-military-sites-for-inauguration-de-la-espriella-says-he-will-go-ahead https://www.nbcnews.com/world/latin-america/colombia-president-elect-abelardo-de-la-espriella-gustavo-petro-coup-rcna353365 https://www.cnbc.com/2025/10/27/argentinas-midterm-election-hands-landslide-win-to-mileis-libertarian-overhaul.html https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/pro-trump-lawyer-de-la-espriella-pulls-ahead-in-colombias-presidential-race-with-promise-of-crime-crackdown https://www.infobae.com/colombia/2026/03/26/de-la-espriella-propone-diez-mega-carceles-concesionadas-y-eliminar-el-inpec-para-enfrentar-la-crisis-carcelaria-en-colombia-asi-se-van-a-financiar/ https://gaceta.es/iberosfera/la-jep-imputa-a-27-terroristas-de-las-farc-por-crimenes-de-guerra-y-lesa-humanidad-en-colombia-20260805-1124/?scroll-event=true --- Full analysis is behind the paywall. Read the gated piece at https://fronts.co/videos/warfronts-oiqzcjmkmr8/.