Background:
Colombia was one of the three countries that emerged from the
collapse of Gran Colombia in 1830 (the others being Ecuador and
Venezuela). A 40-year insurgent campaign to overthrow the Colombian
Government escalated during the 1990s, undergirded in part by funds
from the drug trade. Although the violence is deadly and large
swaths of the countryside are under guerrilla influence, the
movement lacks the military strength or popular support necessary to
overthrow the government. An anti-insurgent army of paramilitaries
has grown to be several thousand strong in recent years, challenging
the insurgents for control of territory and illicit industries such
as the drug trade and the government's ability to exert its dominion
over rural areas. While Bogota steps up efforts to reassert
government control throughout the country, neighboring countries
worry about the violence spilling over their borders.