Colombian President Abelardo de la Espriella has sent military and police forces to Santa Marta, a coastal city in the Caribbean region, in response to rising violence. Troops are now patrolling the streets as the president seeks to bring back a sense of security to the city. In a working-class neighborhood in the northeast of Santa Marta, residents lined up at the few remaining open supermarkets, with police officers armed with rifles standing nearby. Taxi driver Antonio Ochoa said that many people were afraid to leave their homes but felt they had no choice but to go out to buy essential supplies. On Tuesday, armed individuals set fire to at least three vehicles, including a taxi and a public bus, and threatened merchants in the open, causing widespread fear among residents. President de la Espriella has blamed the Sierra Nevada Self-Defense Forces for the violence and ordered troops to the city in response. He claimed the group planned to "set fire" to parts of the Caribbean region in retaliation for a military operation that killed José Pérez Villanueva, known as "Cholo," who the government identified as the group’s second-in-command. De la Espriella vowed to "finish them off" and said he would "leave no stone unturned" until he found them, warning that if they did not surrender, he would "send them to hell in a body bag." This deployment marks the first major action of de la Espriella’s administration, which began last month after he promised to take a firm stance against illegal armed groups. De la Espriella has also suspended all peace talks with armed groups that were initiated by his predecessor, President Gustavo Petro. These negotiations included discussions with self-defense forces like the Sierra Nevada group, which formed after the demobilization of paramilitary groups in the early 2000s. According to police reports, the Sierra Nevada Self-Defense Forces operate in several regions, including Magdalena — where Santa Marta is located — La Guajira, and Cesar, and have been linked to crimes such as drug trafficking and extortion. Magdalena Governor María Margarita Guerra visited a public market in Santa Marta, where all vegetable, fruit, and meat stalls had been closed. She and her team handed out flyers that read "Extortion doesn't pay" and encouraged vendors to reopen their businesses. Guerra acknowledged the difficulty of rebuilding trust after years of violence but urged people to unite, calling the market the "heart of commerce." Meanwhile, hundreds of tourists continued to enjoy the beaches of Santa Marta, relaxing, listening to music, and sunbathing, even though most nearby restaurants and shops remained closed. Orlando Andrade, a 64-year-old journalist on vacation with his family, said he was caught off guard by the sudden violence in the city center when he noticed that public transportation was scarce. A street vendor told him to "hide," which left him unable to fully enjoy his trip. Despite the unrest, the city continues to show signs of life, with some residents striving to maintain normalcy amid the challenges brought by the recent violence.