Esmad returns: Police signed the resolution replacing Undmo

Resolution 03226, dated October 13, created the National Antiriot Unit, Unadi, and brought back the name Mobile Antiriot Squadron, or Esmad. It revoked Resolution 03684 from November 2022, which had renamed Esmad as the Unit for Dialogue and Maintenance of Order, Undmo, and changed its functions. The change matters because it restores the former unit’s identity and operational role.

Under the new arrangement, Esmad again handles criminal, violent, or disruptive acts arising from crowds. This applies in public or private spaces across the country when rights or public freedoms are threatened. The unit must also follow human-rights agreements governing force, conduct dialogue, and approach communities.

The resolution gives the institution 90 days to adopt Unadi’s new structure. During that period, the change moves from the Undmo framework toward a structure containing Sunad, Gusop, Radis, and Esmad. The article reports that the renamed unit did not produce visibly greater force during the first protest day covered.

Esmad, the Mobile Antiriot Squadron, is the police unit responsible for responding to violent, criminal, or disruptive actions arising from crowds. Undmo, the Unit for Dialogue and Maintenance of Order, was the name adopted in November 2022, when the police also changed the unit’s functions. Unadi is the new National Antiriot Unit created by Resolution 03226.

The relationship is a sequence of organizational changes. Resolution 03684 renamed Esmad as Undmo and modified its functions. Resolution 03226 revoked that rule, restored the Esmad name, and created Unadi as the broader structure. Esmad is therefore not separate from Unadi; it is one component within it.

Unadi will include the Subcommand, Sunad; the Operational Monitoring Group, Gusop; the Antiriot Regionals, Radis; and Esmad. Police have 90 days to implement this structure. The arrangement also requires human-rights standards, dialogue for de-escalation, and community engagement.

The new National Antiriot Unit, Unadi, is designed as a four-part police structure. It will contain the Subcommand of the National Antiriot Unit, known as Sunad; the Operational Monitoring Group, Gusop; the Antiriot Regionals, Radis; and the Mobile Antiriot Squadron, Esmad. These components define how the revived unit will be organized nationally.

The article presents each component as part of the same institutional framework, rather than as an independent replacement for Unadi. Esmad is the operational squad whose name and functions return. Sunad provides the unit’s subcommand, Gusop handles operational follow-up, and Radis represent the regional antiriot component.

Police have 90 days to adopt this structure. The change follows the repeal of the 2022 resolution that renamed Esmad as Undmo and altered its functions. The new organization must also carry out dialogue, community outreach, and force use consistent with human-rights agreements.

The marches involved around 62,000 people, according to the balance presented by President Abelardo de la Espriella. He reported that 98% of the marches on Wednesday were peaceful. Those figures frame the day as a large national mobilization in which peaceful participation greatly outweighed the incidents targeted by antiriot authorities.

The key mechanism in the reported balance is the distinction between the overall crowd and a small minority accused of seeking to disrupt the country. The president described that minority as wanting to “stop Colombia.” The police resolution, meanwhile, concerns responses to criminal, violent, or anti-coexistence acts arising from gatherings.

The article says the opposition and several nongovernmental organizations feared the new powers could lead to greater force. Yet that was not visible, at least during this first day. Supporters of the president also promoted an online march supporting Esmad and calling for order in demonstrations.

During the transition, the police move away from the Undmo framework created in November 2022. Resolution 03226 revokes Resolution 03684, which had changed Esmad’s name to the Unit for Dialogue and Maintenance of Order and had modified its functions. The returning name is Esmad, within the newly created Unadi.

The practical mechanism is an implementation period. The resolution gives the institution 90 days to adopt Unadi’s structure. That structure includes Sunad, Gusop, the Radis, and Esmad. The article does not describe a separate temporary organization or provide additional operational details for each day of the transition.

The restored functions include addressing, deterring, and controlling criminal, violent, or anti-coexistence acts linked to crowds. The unit must also observe human-rights agreements, support dialogue and de-escalation, and engage communities. The first protest day did not show the greater use of force feared by opponents and NGOs.

Esmad became controversial because of complaints about excessive or abusive force during social protests. The article identifies this history as important background to the decision to restore the name. Its reputation was shaped not only by the unit’s crowd-control role, but also by cases that intensified public criticism.

The clearest example given is the death of Dilan Cruz. The article says Esmad was marked by cases such as Cruz’s death, linking the unit to the broader debate over how police respond to demonstrations. That history explains why the return of the name drew concern from opposition groups and several nongovernmental organizations.

Those groups feared the new powers could produce greater use of force. The resolution formally requires compliance with human-rights agreements and adds dialogue, de-escalation, and community outreach. In the first protest day described, however, the article reports that the feared increase in force was not observed.

The article sets three main principles for police action during protests. First, the squad must comply with all human-rights agreements governing the use of force. Second, it must protect rights and public freedoms while responding to criminal, violent, or anti-coexistence acts. These principles place legal and rights-based limits on crowd control.

The resolution also requires dialogue activities that help de-escalate conflicts. Police must approach communities to strengthen the institution’s image. These measures create a mechanism beyond physical control: authorities are expected to communicate, reduce tensions, and build contact with residents while handling dangerous conduct.

The principles matter because Esmad had been criticized over alleged force abuses, including the case of Dilan Cruz. Opposition groups and NGOs feared the restored powers could increase force. The first protest day described was largely peaceful, and the article says the feared increase was not seen then.