United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia

Uncommon card · No. 157100

The United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia (Autodefensas Unidas de Colombia, or AUC, in Spanish) was a coalition of Colombian paramilitary organizations and vigilance committees that conceived itself as countering communist terrorism, banditry, and insurgency in Colombia. The AUC was an active belligerent in the Colombian conflict from 1997 to 2006. The AUC was responsible for retaliations against the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) and National Liberation Army (ELN) communist organizations, as well as numerous deadly attacks against civilians since its formation, starting with the 1997 Mapiripán massacre. The militia had its roots in the 1980s when militias were established by drug lords to combat rebel kidnappings and extortion by communist guerrillas. In April 1997, the AUC was formed through a merger, orchestrated by the ACCU, of localized self-defense militias, each intending to protect different local economic, social, and political interests by fighting left-wing insurgents...

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