1988-present:
Since at least 1988 the US has been interfering with Colombia's internal politics and backing state sponsored and paramilitary violence, well beyond its legal involvement in the "war on drugs" or anything justifying the rape of another South American country, considering the military we're supporting is part of the drug racket and that the people profiting the most off the trade, both in arms and drugs, are Americans.
The violence between FARC and the Colombian military/paramilitary has pushed Colombia's inhabitants deep into poverty, causing cocoa production to explode as farmers move away from what is now unsustainable crop development, exacerbated further by US scorched earth polices, carried out by DynCorp. Caught in the middle of the violence are various Colombian autonomous municipalities.
According to the UN there are some 720,000 refugees in Colombia, and many have spilled over into neighbouring nations.
"In Colombia, it is well known that those who profit the most from the drug trade are members of the armed forces, the police, government officials, and the "big businessmen" of the urban centers.
The FARC taxes coca, a far cry from trafficking. The FARC also taxes gas, peanuts and furniture.
Coca also is the only crop left that keeps the campesinos' heads above water. The peasant who grows standard crops will have an average annual income of around $250 a year. With coca, they can feed a family on $2,000 a year. These are not robber barons. ...
After reflection on my two decades plus of service, I am convinced that I only served the richest one percent of my country."
--Master Sgt. Stan Goff, Special Forces: My Life in the Army