Kolumbien

The war crimes tribunal said that 12 regions throughout Colombia suffered a reactivation of armed conflict last year. In a press release, the Special Jurisdiction for Peace (JEP) said that 2021 was the most violent year since the government and now-defunct guerrilla group FARC signed peace in 2016.

The UN Mission in Colombia was the target of an attack on Thursday, when three vehicles that were part of a joint expedition travelling through a remote area, were approached by armed individuals, although nobody was ultimately injured during the incident. 

Five years after its signing, the Final Peace Agreement in Colombia is setting down ever deeper roots, the Special Representative for the country told the Security Council on Thursday, as he called on the Government, political parties, former combatants and Colombians across the diverse South American nation, to intensify implementation of the landmark 2016 accord ahead of Congressional elections.

Colombia reported the deaths of at least 145 community leaders and rights defenders last year, as fighting by armed gangs fuelled further violence.

The former Colombian senator, Ingrid Betancourt, has announced she will run for president again, 20 years after being kidnapped by left-wing rebels.

At least 145 community leaders and rights activists were killed in 2021 in Colombia, the country’s human rights ombudsman has said. The 2021 death toll, which came amid a year defined by protests and government crackdowns, was lower than in 2020, when 182 killings were registered, … .

At least 23 people were killed in Colombia this weekend, and 20 had to flee their homes as fighting between rebel groups intensified in the eastern state of Arauca, Colombia's defense minister said Monday.

The United Nations’ human rights office in Colombia called for urgent and far-reaching reforms to prevent human rights violations in response to protests. In the report, the office of UN human rights chief Juliette Riveros confirmed reports that mainly the police committed widespread human rights abuses during anti-government protests earlier this year.

Colombia must urgently reform how it polices protests in the wake of demonstrations earlier this year in which several people were killed or injured, the UN human rights office, OHCHR, said in a report published on Wednesday.  

Colombia’s 2016 peace deal was a landmark achievement, convincing the FARC guerrillas to disarm and enter civilian life. Yet much remains to be done to show insurgents that they can redress their grievances through ordinary politics. The country’s leaders should recommit to finishing the job.