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Residents in a working-class neighborhood in the city’s northeast lined up outside the few supermarkets that remained open as police officers carrying rifles stood guard. “We woke up this morning afraid to go out and see what the situation was, but you have to go out to stock up on supplies,” taxi driver Antonio Ochoa said. The president said 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” and identified by the government as the group’s second-in-command. “I swear by Colombia and by my life that I will finish them off,” de la Espriella warned Tuesday night from Santa Marta, wearing a bulletproof vest while touring the city in an armored vehicle. “I will leave no stone unturned until I find them. and if they do not surrender, I will send them to hell in a body bag.” De la Espriella took office last month after vowing to wield an “iron fist” against illegal armed groups. Meanwhile, hundreds of tourists relaxed on Santa Marta’s beach, listening to music, drinking beer and sunbathing, even as most nearby restaurants and shops remained closed.
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