The armed conflict in Colombia has lasted for over 50 years. Peace negotiations, like the historic Peace Accord between the Colombian government and the FARC-EP in 2016, have attempted to bring an end to decades of violence, and the administration of President Gustavo Petro has introduced an ambitious policy of Paz Total (Total Peace). Under...
The Autodefensas Gaitanistas de Colombia (also known as the Clan del Golfo or Ejército Gaitanista de Colombia – AGC) was formed by paramilitary commanders that refused to demobilise along with the rest of the Autodefensas Unidas de Colombia (AUC), a right-wing paramilitary group, in 2005. The AGC’s current activities include drug trafficking, illegal mining, extortion, human trafficking...
8 July 2024 Trade policy could be used to play a positive role in addressing the climate crisis and contributing to cross-departmental government thinking on climate change, health and human rights. To date, international trade agreements involving the UK have generally facilitated, rather than challenged, the growth of polluting multinational corporations (MNCs) in the extractive...
20 June 2024 Colombia has been the scene of protracted internal armed conflicts involving the government, guerrillas, paramilitaries, and other illegal armed and criminal groups. Peace negotiations, such as the historic Peace Accord with the FARC in 2016, have attempted to bring an end to decades of violence. However, numerous challenges and problems persist in...
The Segunda Marquetalia is a group founded by FARC commanders that returned to the conflict in 2019 after declaring that the Government had failed to implement the agreements made in the 2016 Peace Accord. This group mainly operates around the Colombia/Venezuela border. The government is also engaged in Peace Talks, with the EMC, ELN and the...
Marking a new milestone in Colombia’s transitional justice process, the Special Jurisdiction for Peace (JEP) has opened Macrocase 11 after a more than a year of preliminary investigations. This is a national case that will investigate crimes of “gender-based violence, sexual violence, reproductive violence, and other crimes committed because of prejudice based on sexual orientation,...
The Estado Mayor Central (EMC) are dissidents of the Fuerzas Armadas de Colombia (FARC-EP), who rejected the 2016 peace deal and refused to sign the Peace Accord between the FARC and the Colombian government. It is estimated that the EMC currently has some 3,500 members, with 2,200 combatants and is comprised of 4 main bloques and 46...
President Gustavo Petro took office in August 2022, and introduced the policy of “Paz Total” (Total Peace). This policy allows the Colombian Government to negotiate with a range of illegal armed groups that are still active in the Colombian conflict. These actors include: The FARC laid-down its weapons in 2016 and 13,000 ex-combatants returned to...
The Ejército Nacional de Liberación (National Liberation Army – ELN) is the largest remaining guerrilla group in Colombia, following the signing of the 2016 Peace Accord between the Colombian government and the Fuerzas Armadas de Colombia (FARC-EP). It is estimated that the ELN currently has some 5,800 members, with 3,000 combatants and is comprised of...
READ the latest advances of the National Action Plan in 2023 After 22 years of the implementation of the UN Security Council’s resolution 1325, Colombia’s government announced the formulation, implementation, and follow-up of the National Action Plan 1325 (NAP1325), as a result of the historic and tireless work of women and feminist’s organisations in the...
