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Clashes between Colombian police and protesters were reported late Wednesday after a series of riots and supermarket lootings erupted in southern Bogota.
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Members of the Anti-Riots Mobile Squad (ESMAD) confronted dozens of demonstators, especially in the Santa Librada neighborhood.
Looting was reported in the provinces of Tolima, Quindio, Cundinamarca and Boyaca, as well as several neighborhoods in southern Bogota.
Police used tear gas and stun grenades to disperse the crowd. Heavily armed police and soldiers are now protecting the looted stores with tanks.
The riots in Cundinamarca started after the government alleged that certain popular stores, such as SuperCundi and MerkAndrea, had ties with the former guerrilla group turned political party Revolutionary Alternative Forces of the Commons (FARC).
About 16 supermarkets were damaged during the riots. Looting has since extended to other establishments, prompting authorities to suggest the acts are pure vandalism rather than being carried out by a politically motivated organization.
When the Colombian government and the FARC signed the peace accords in 2016, the former insurgents agreed to declare all of their assets.
On Monday, a Colombian prosecutor said he would confiscate 60 supermarkets, houses, livestock and commercial companies valued at US$227.8 million that the FARC had failed to declare.
The FARC has denied the allegations, calling them "fake news": part of a campaign designed to discredit the fledgling political party.
The mayor of Melgar said he was forced to take security measures in response to the riots, including a ban on alcohol, closing access routes and prohibiting two people from riding the same motorcycle. He also banned the carrying of firearms and placed a 9 p.m. curfew on minors.
Authorities in Cundinamarca declared a curfew in the Facatativa and Fusafasuga neighborhoods after local riots injured 13 police officers and ended in 70 arrests.
The curfews will remain in place until Friday, with the possibility of extending until Sunday.
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