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The US government has formally classified the Gulf Clan, the nation's most dominant and formidable illegal armed group, as a terrorist entity.

This notorious drug-trafficking militia, with roots in far-right armed groups, is present in at least 20 of Colombia's departments.

It controls key human and narcotics trafficking routes through the notorious Darién Gap and has fought leftwing rebels for control of criminal networks along the shared border.

A Political Facade?

In recent years, the cartel has attempted to present itself as a political movement, akin to other Colombian rebel groups.

This strategy could grant it different terms in any potential negotiations. However, it is largely not viewed to have concrete political aims.

US Government Statement

In a recent statement, the US secretary of state labeled the Gulf Clan—which calls itself the Gaitanist Self-Defense Forces of Colombia (AGC)—as a "brutal and influential criminal organisation."

He emphasized it has "a membership in the thousands" and that its "main revenue stream is cocaine trafficking, which it uses to fund its armed operations."

Broader Context

While other Colombian armed factions have been designated as terror entities before, this decision is the initial under the current administration.

This government has previously targeted six cartels in Mexico and a pair in Venezuela.

Escalating Tensions

The move is set to worsen tensions between the US and Colombia's president, who has vocally criticized the US pressure campaign against Venezuela.

This includes lethal military strikes on vessels that have allegedly killed numerous people in coastal waters.

The two leaders have traded public barbs for weeks. After warning that any narcotics-producing country was a possible focus, the US president specifically mentioned Colombia, stating the Colombian leader "is going to have significant difficulties if he doesn't wise up."

The Colombian president retorted by warning his US counterpart to "not wake the jaguar" with threats of military action.

The "War on Drugs" Justification

The US has cited its war on drugs to explain the strikes on boats it claims are ferrying drug shipments.

The Colombian president has described these operations as "unlawful killing." Early on Tuesday, the US military stated it had carried out new strikes on three vessels near Colombia's Pacific coast, resulting in eight fatalities.

Previous Designations

Other Colombian armed groups have been on the US terror list for a long time.

• This encompasses the National Liberation Army (ELN).
• It also includes dissident factions of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc) that took up arms again after the 2016 peace agreement.

Unsuccessful Strategies

Some authorities in Colombia had hoped the Gulf Clan might be crippled by the arrest and deportation of its top commander to the US in 2022.

Instead, the group initiated a wave of violence, assassinating police officers and local leaders and holding vast areas of the country in a state of fear.

Obstacle to Peace

The Gulf Clan is now engaged in stalled talks with the government. It is seen as the key impediment to the president's struggling "comprehensive peace" plan, which aims to end the country's many-sided armed conflict.