When Duque attended a security meeting in Arauca to discuss security, ELN members appeared openly on the streets of Arauquita, a town not far from the meeting, making a mockery of the administration's efforts.
Duque has insisted that Otoniel's capture marks "the end of the Gulf Clan." This is false. The group still has about 1,700 active members, according to Colombian police.
The massacres in Southeast Antioquia appear related to a confrontation between gangs associated with the Urabeños, which is also known as the Autodefensas Gaitanistas de Colombia (AGC), and the Medellin-based Oficina de Envigado. Both are looking to control local drug markets.