The leaders of these groups sold their ideas to the reigning drug lords motivated by power and money. This money allowed the guerrilla to recruit more members and acquire weapons, which then ended up becoming a "narco-driven" army. Colombia's "roots are buried in the economic and social imbalance that permeates the country, a huge working class living in poverty, lining the pockets of a tiny wealthy upper class who own more than 90 percent of the land, industry and business (Howe 1). The condition of the socioeconomic situation of the country provides many reasons for a group with their initial ideas to exist and to fight for their rights, the country is centralized mainly in the big cities and the remaining regions are neglected. The groups take advantage of the government's absence and establish themselves in remote regions, where the infrastructure is inexistent and jungle like conditions overcome. There they can build their "business" in order to clear the path for the production and delivery of narcotics, which comes hand in hand with ruthless practices. .
Violence is one of the tools that the illegal armed forces use to obtain power by generating fear. They use this type of power to protect their territory, enabling them to freely produce and transport drugs, which is the main source of their sponsorship. From the beginning these two groups have imposed themselves in society through violence, "during the past four decades, over 200,000 have lost their lives and more than three million have been forced from their homes by violence or intimidation" (Howe 1). Jason P. Howe displays a perfect example of how people who get involved within this violent organization are transformed. The article displays how murder and assassination becomes a way of life, and people "no longer seemed to be legitimate part of a civil conflict but had evolved into a freelance killer, taking life in exchange for money" (Howe 2).
