Colombia: News & Updates

At the end of its seventh year, the implementation of the 2016 Colombian Peace Accord is at a critical midpoint. A new report from the Peace Accords Matrix (PAM) at the Keough School of Global Affairs’ Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies details the current status of the accord's implementation, highlighting progress and challenges as the peace process enters the second half of its 15-year plan.

The eighth comprehensive report, “Seven Years of Final Accord Implementation: Perspectives to Strengthen Peacebuilding at the Halfway Point,” covers December 2022 to November 2023, using quantitative and qualitative data to assess the implementation of all 578 stipulations in the agreement.

Key events during this period include the government's focus on the Total Peace policy, aimed at negotiating with illegal armed actors for sustainable peace, and the regional elections in October 2023, along with the adoption of the National Development Plan (PND) 2022–2026.

Data reveals that 10% of stipulations have not started, 39% are minimally implemented, 19% are at an intermediate stage, and 32% are completed. Most points in the agreement saw changes in implementation levels, except for the Problem of Illicit Drugs. Integral Rural Reform (Point 1) and Verification and Monitoring Mechanisms (Point 6) were particularly dynamic but remain among the least implemented.

Although implementation has continued over the past seven years, progress has been slow since 2019. This trend saw a slight improvement in 2023, with 2% of stipulations initiating implementation, up from 1% in 2022.

Effective peace agreements maintain momentum early and mid-term. However, there is concern about completing the remaining 49% of commitments within the 15-year deadline. The disparity in implementation levels is partly due to the complexity of reforms and partly to ineffective or incomplete implementation, particularly in gender, ethnic, and territorial integration.

The report concludes with recommendations for strengthening the implementation process, including transparent execution of the PND, convening the Peace Cabinet, and reviewing the Framework Plan for Implementation. The Kroc Institute has also produced a policy brief summarizing key points and released several prior reports on various aspects of the peace process.

In Colombia, violence against social activists, trade unionists, and former guerrillas persisted throughout April 2024, adding to a grim tally since the start of the year: 59 activists and ten former FARC members in the peace process have been killed, alongside 21 documented massacres. Despite government efforts to engage in dialogue with armed groups, the scale of the human rights crisis remains daunting.

Key incidents in April include:

• 1 April: Ever Albeiro Espí Hernández, president of a community council in Arauca, was murdered, marking the 40th activist killing in 2024.
• 5 April: Explosions in Cauca and the forced confinement of indigenous families in Buenaventura due to armed groups' presence.
• 7 April: Five people killed in a bar in Valle del Cauca, and a Conservative Party councillor murdered in Caldas.
• 9 April: A councillor from an indigenous political party was abducted in La Guajira.
• 13-14 April: A massacre in Cucuta, followed by the killing of lawyer Jaime Alonso Vásquez.
• 15 April: Youth worker Yoiner Gómez Burbano was murdered in Cauca.
• 17 April: Former FARC member Carlos Garzón Noscue was killed in Putumayo, and LGBTQ activist Manuel José Bermúdez's body was found in Antioquia.
• 19 April: Two Attorney General's Office employees were abducted in Cauca, and activists Carlos Arturo Londoño and Clarivet Ocampo were killed in Valle del Cauca.
• 20 April: A massacre in Antioquia, the killing of community activist Zayra Enciso Gómez, and the murder of teacher trade unionist Luis Alfredo Leones Álvarez.
• 21 April: Community activist Narciso Beleño was killed by Gulf Clan paramilitaries in South Bolivar.
• 25 April: Youth worker Yarlinton Robledo Rentería and social activist Robinson Franco were murdered.
• 27-30 April: Several killings, including political candidate John Freddy Gil Franco and social activist Antonio Montañéz Villazana in Arauca.

These events underscore the ongoing and severe human rights challenges in Colombia, with numerous activists and former combatants being targeted despite peace efforts.

• An Indigenous woman from the Inga community in the Condagua reservation in Putumayo, Colombia, is leading the struggle against a Canadian mining company that plans to mine the community’s sacred mountains for copper and molybdenum.
• Within Soraida Chindoy’s territory is the Doña Juana-Chimayoy páramo, where eight rivers have their source and where there are 56 lagoons. The site, where the Amazon rainforest and the Andes meet, is sacred to the Indigenous population.
• Her campaign against mining was borne of tragedy.

What’s new? With its “total peace” policy, the Colombian government aims to engage all the country’s armed groups in talks, but it has no dialogue under way with the largest armed criminal outfit, the Gaitanista Self-Defence Force. This gap is significant, given the Gaitanistas’ deep pockets and their drive to expand. 

A recent study by Caribbean Affirmative in Colombia revealed alarming statistics regarding violence against the LGBTQ community. On average, one LGBTQ person is murdered every two days in the country. Despite Colombia's progressive legal framework for LGBTQ rights, only a small percentage of cases progress to trial, and violence against the community persists. Trans individuals face the highest risk, with Colombia among the countries reporting the most hate crimes against them in Latin America. Visibility remains a challenge, particularly outside urban areas, where discrimination and violence are more prevalent. The organization calls attention to the state's indifference to these cases and demands a change in attitude from institutions to effectively address and prevent violence against LGBTQ individuals. They emphasize the need for improved data collection and enforcement of laws to ensure the safety and rights of LGBTQ people in Colombia.