General Fernando Tapias, commander of the Colombian Armed Forces, said in 2001 that the AUC would be the greatest threat the government faces within two or three years. Yet allegations of military-paramilitary collaboration at the local level remain widespread and very well documented by human rights groups, the United Nations, the U.S. State Department, and Colombian government investigators. Though Colombia has avoided most Latin American countries' histories of chronic military coups, its armed forces operate with considerable autonomy and often challenge civilian leaders. Over the years, Colombia's security forces, especially its Army, have developed a reputation for corruption, human rights abuse and poor performance on the battlefield. This collaboration has intensified since 1999, when the bulk of US counter-drug aid shifted from the National Police to the Army.
Colombian law exempts anyone with a high-school education from serving in combat units.
The armed forces have improved their battlefield performance since suffering embarrasing defeats at the hands of the FARC in 1996-98. Though their share of direct involvement in killings and disappearances has fallen sharply in recent years, the armed forces nonetheless continue to face serious allegations of indirect human rights abuse through collaboration with paramilitary groups. Contact Us and Support Our Work Search the Site Find page with all or any of the keywords.