SUMMARY

Las Águilas Negras emerged in 2006 in key coca-producing regions such as Catatumbo, Northern Santander, and Nariño, quickly expanding its presence nationwide, occupying former AUC trafficking corridors from Córdoba to Sucre, Chocó, and the Urabá region in Antioquia. Despite lacking centralized leadership and functioning as a loose federation of semi-autonomous factions, the group developed a reputation for systematic violence and political repression.

The one-sided violence perpetrated by Las Águilas Negras was marked by threats, targeted killings, and widespread intimidation aimed at civilians across Colombia. The group frequently distributed intimidatory pamphlets in urban centers and rural communities, threatening citizens, community leaders, and members of vulnerable groups. These leaflets often announced imminent "social cleansing" campaigns, promising to eliminate alleged drug users, petty criminals, and individuals deemed "undesirable" by the group.

The violent acts attributed to the group typically included assassinations carried out by firearm, often in or near the victims’ homes, with the assailants escaping on motorcycles. These attacks blurred the line between political repression and organized crime, especially in areas where the group’s presence overlapped with drug trafficking routes. Although the group's activity declined after 2011, the lingering use of its name by various actors continued to generate fear in Colombian communities.

Las Águilas Negras first became active as a one-sided actor in UCDP data in 2008. In December 2008, one-sided violence resulted in over 25 civilian deaths as Las Águilas Negras killed a man in Quimbaya, Quindío.