Santa Marta tense after drug gang attacks in Colombia

Santa Marta was calm but tense on Wednesday after drug-gang violence led Colombia to deploy army troops in the Caribbean tourist city.

Stores and schools closed and many drivers stayed off the roads a day after members of the Conquering Self-Defense Forces of the Sierra Nevada, known as ACSN, opened fire on businesses and set vehicles alight.

Mayor Carlos Pinedo told Caracol Radio that at least 500 soldiers and 600 police officers had been deployed. He said the city had been bracing for violence after President Abelardo de la Espriella announced that security forces had killed 13 ACSN members in an operation in the mountains above Santa Marta.

Authorities said nine people were arrested over Tuesday's violence. Pinedo said the disturbances were “minimal,” but residents and business owners contacted by AFP described fear and uncertainty amid rumours that the ACSN had ordered a three-day curfew.

De la Espriella travelled to Santa Marta on Tuesday night to oversee the security operation. He took office last month after campaigning as a hardline law-and-order candidate and has broken off peace talks with armed groups pursued by his predecessor Gustavo Petro.