Colombia History (very abridged)

Colombia was one of the three countries that emerged from the collapse of Gran Colombia in 1830, along with Ecuador and Venezuela. A forty year conflict between government forces and anti-government insurgent groups and illegal paramilitary groups- both heavily funded by the drug trade- escalated during the 1990s. The insurgents lack the military or popular support necessary to overthrow the government, and the violence has been decreasing since about 2002; however, insurgents continue attacks against civilians and large swaths of the countryside are under guerilla influence. More than 32,000 former paramilitaries had demobilized by the end of 2006, and the Unted Self Defense Forces of Colombia (AUC) as a formal organization had ceased to function. Still, some renegades continued to engage in criminal activities. The Colombian government has stepped up efforts to reassert government control throughout the country, and now has a presence in every one of its administrative departments.