AFP
Colombia is facing its most critical situation since the 2016 peace deal with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) rebel group, according to a new report by the International Committee of the Red Cross’ (ICRC).
The communiqué warns of a marked increase in human rights violations and victims of the armed conflict in 2024 compared to 2023.
The investigation detailed that there was an 89% increase in the number of victims of explosive devices, a 102% increase in confinement and widespread violence against women and children.
What are the report’s key findings?
The report is the latest evidence of the deteriorating security situation and worsening humanitarian crisis in Colombia’s conflict zones.
“What we have seen is a very significant increase in terms of humanitarian consequences,” Jose Antonio Delgado, ICRC National Director of Operations in Colombia, told The Latin Times.
Delgado highlighted the growing number of people wounded or injured by explosives, 67% of whom were civilians.
Most incidents involved explosives launched on ramps or by drones. Incidents involving landmines increased by 42%, injuring or killing 262 people.
In addition to the rise in victims of explosions, the report found a significant increase in people forcibly confined to their homes.
Some 88,000 people were affected by confinements, which are often linked to actions like armed strikes, where groups force communities to stay inside under threat of violence. This figure represented an 89% increase compared to 2023.
Confinement produces a host of humanitarian challenges, hindering access to healthcare, food, water and education. It also has a negative economic and psychological impact on affected populations.
‘Invisibilized violence’
Beyond the ICRC’s hard data, the report highlighted other humanitarian impacts of the conflict that are more difficult to measure.
“I think one of the most important things in this report, and where I would put emphasis, is how it draws attention to the way that violence has become invisible,” Elizabeth Dickinson, Senior Colombia Analyst at Crisis Group told The Latin Times.
The analyst highlighted the report’s findings on violence against women and children living in communities where armed groups are present, noting a “resurgence of sexual violence related to the armed conflict.”
The document also highlighted rising child recruitment to armed groups. Children are often lured through social media posts that glamorize a life in arms. However, those who join then face some of the worst conditions once recruited. Indigenous minors are disproportionately affected by recruitment.
What does the report mean for Colombia?
“I think this report is really important for Colombia because it’s a warning about the direction of Colombia’s conflict,” said Dickinson.
Delgado, on his end, suggested that the conflict will only continue to get worse. This is partially because the ICRC report does not take into account new waves of fighting in 2025, with intense combat in multiple regions including Catatumbo, Cauca and Nariño.
“2023 was worse than 2022, 2022 was worse than 2021, and so on. That is to say, every year has really seen a worsening of humanitarian consequences,” Delgado said.
The ICRC report is the latest confirmation that Colombia is experiencing a resurgence in the armed conflict that many hoped would end after the 2016 peace agreement with FARC rebels.
While some blame President Gustavo Petro’s total peace plan for renewed violence, Dickinson said the trend predates him.
“This is something that started under the Duque administration, the pandemic really accelerated armed group control… and essentially what total peace has been has been a failure to halt those trends or reverse them,” explained the analyst. She added that Petro’s attempt to negotiate peace deals with all of Colombia’s armed groups was well-intended, but inadvertently strengthened the non-state actors.
While the government stopped attacking the rebels, the groups used the opportunity to rearm and regroup, strengthening their position vis-a-vis state forces.
Delgado noted the challenge of drawing the world’s attention to the situation in Colombia, with many having written off the conflict after the FARC peace deal.
“In reality, here we live with eight non-international armed conflicts in Colombia, with an upwards trend in terms of humanitarian consequences,” said the ICRC Director of Operations.
Delgado hopes the report will draw more of the international community’s attention to Colombia’s conflict.
But for now, the ICRC’s priority is getting actors in the conflict to make firm commitments to respecting international humanitarian law.
“Our position is very clear. This is not negotiable… there is a baseline, which are the norms dictated by international humanitarian law, which everyone is obliged to comply with. And not with any excuses of ‘it doesn’t appeal to me,’ ‘it doesn’t convenience me,’ or ‘I don’t like it,'” said Delgado.
© 2025 Latin Times. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.