Colombia has deployed a new unit of 14,000 military personnel on Wednesday to increase government control of a conflict hotspot near the Venezuelan border, where multiple armed groups compete for control of cocaine production. The new unit deployed in the northeastern province of Norte de Santander is the largest in Colombia's recent history. The province is one of Colombia's most violent regions and the site of recent high-profile attacks.
The government says that the deployment will be accompanied by investments to tackle poverty and substitution and eradication programs to put an end to illegal crops. Colombia's nearly six-decade armed conflict has killed more than 260,000 people and displaced millions.