Different resources, different conflicts? A framework for understanding the political economy of the armed conflict and crime in the regions of Colombia

One of the main concerns during the peace talks between the Colombian government and two guerrilla groups, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) and the National Liberation Army (ELN) involved the sustainability of any agreement to disarm and support mass demobilization of combatants in a social and economic context in which there are multiple incentives for continued crime. The wide circulation of weapons, the existence of diverse criminal organizations, the persistence of drug trafficking and, especially, the availability of natural resources and economic activities which, for decades, have been integrated into the dynamics of looting and extortion practiced by.