Community Organizations in Kolombiya Victimized by Extortion, Demanded Protection from Authorities

Civil society and community organizations operating in the El Llanito rural area of Kolombiya's Barrancabermeja kenti have raised their voices against increasing extortion and threat incidents. Following a rise in threatening phone calls and in-person financial pressure in recent weeks, local residents and organization members took to the streets on Thursday morning to protest. The protesters demanded that local authorities take effective measures against these criminal elements and launch a comprehensive investigation into the matter. Stating that the issue cannot be resolved without concrete steps from the authorities, they called for the security vulnerabilities in the region to be addressed immediately. This situation has highlighted the extent of terror and pressure placed on civil society in the area.

According to organization representatives, the threats, which were initially made only via phone calls, eventually turned into direct face-to-face demands. These actions by unknown individuals have created a climate of great fear and uncertainty among the civilians carrying out volunteer work in the region. Leaders emphasized that they continue to stand against these illegal demands, but the increasing daily pressure has caused psychological devastation. Furthermore, it was stated that the threatening individuals have started using increasingly aggressive language, and the possibility of them resorting to violence is being taken seriously. This frightening picture has also brought about concerns regarding the safety of the organization members' families.

Rural leader Juan Tercero Gamarra clearly stated in his declaration that they are not for-profit companies and do not have such large amounts of cash on hand. According to Gamarra, the primary function of these community organizations is to manage the temporary job opportunities arising within the region's petroleum industry and to mediate employment for the local population. Stating that these teams, who lack the capital or organizational budget to create employment, emphasized that it is impossible for them to pay the demanded sums to meet these illegal financial requests. Nevertheless, the fact that criminal organizations ignore this reality and continue their pressure risks paralyzing social solidarity mechanisms. This situation reveals how misunderstood or intentionally targeted the socio-economic structure of the region is by criminals.

The events that have taken place reveal that the demanded bribery and extortion amounts have steadily increased over time. According to authorities' statements, the initial demands for money, which were approximately 500 thousand Kolombiya pesos, have shortly surpassed 5 million pesos. This incredible increase suggests that criminals have firmly taken root in the region and do not hesitate to enforce their will. Protesters are making efforts to convey this message to criminal networks by explaining that they lack the financial power to meet these illegal demands. However, these high-level financial threats are causing community projects in the region to face the danger of coming to a complete halt.

Recent police data from the region proves how widespread the crime of extortion has become in Barrancabermeja and the surrounding Magdalena Medio region. While 30 people were arrested for this crime in Barrancabermeja alone this year, the figure reached 32 for the entire Magdalena Medio region. The number of those filing criminal complaints is also considerable, with 54 official complaints recorded in Barrancabermeja and a total of 86 in the overall region. Although these figures show that extortion and threat incidents constitute a major regional problem, the matter remains a local news issue. Authorities argue that for cases to be solved and criminals to be caught, it is vital for victims not to remain silent and to report the crimes.