Under the terms of the Thomson-Urrutia treaty, the United States agreed to pay Colombia for the loss of Panama. The treaty helped restore ties between the two countries. The assassination of the Liberal party leader triggered a period of violence and lawlessness known as La Violencia. The unrest continued sporadically until the 1960s. A Liberal-Conservative coalition government slowly restored confidence in the government and economy.
Government attempts to crack down on Colombia's large drug cartels met with violent resistance.
Many journalists and government officials were assassinated. However, the progress was offset by the rise of another drug cartel based in Cali. 1995 Colombia, along with Venezuela and Mexico, formed the Group of Three, a free-trade organization that intends to eliminate all tariffs and quotas on trade between members within a decade. After allegations that drug traffickers financed his campaign, President Ernesto Samper Pizano was indicted by government prosecutors on charges of illegal enrichment, electoral fraud, falsifying documents, and attempted cover-up. Andres Pastrana is elected president.