United Nations, Oct. 13.– A month before the tenth anniversary of the signing of Colombia’s 2016 Peace Agreement, the Security Council reviewed its implementation under the new Administration of President Abelardo Gabriel de la Espriella, who assumed office on 7 August, amid hopes that the gains achieved over the past decade would be preserved and strengthened through concrete policies and decisive action.
Colombia’s conflict began in the 1960s, when political marginalization and unequal land access sparked a conflagration that lasted decades, and led to the inception of armed groups, including the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia–People’s Army (FARC-EP). That period saw rebels, paramilitaries and criminal networks killing and displacing millions.
Negotiations initiated in 2012 led to the Peace Agreement in 2016, which formally ended half a century of civil strife between the Government and the largest rebel group, and provided for FARC-EP disarmament and reintegration, rural reform, political participation and transitional justice. The United Nations Verification Mission in Colombia was established in 2016 by the Security Council to verify the Agreement’s implementation.
Proposed Adjustment to UN Mission: Refocus on Security Rather than Rural Reform
Entering the final third of the 15-year implementation period set by the Agreement, Omar Bula, Colombia’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, stressed that “genuine and lasting peace” has not been achieved, as the country remains challenged by persistent violence, expanding armed groups, record levels of drug trafficking, increased kidnappings, massacres and child recruitment.
Pointing out that, between 2016 and August 2026, 132,930 people were murdered in Colombia, while 100,000 cases of extortion and 2,750 kidnappings were recorded, he said: “For our peasant farmers, workers, children and security forces, peace has simply not existed.”
“The figures never lie,” he went on, observing that, since 2016, the numbers of illegal armed groups engaged in criminal activities, including drug trafficking, have increased five-fold, with many continuing to recruit children, expand territory and subjugate territory.
As a result, he said, his Government has changed course to ensure that peace is built on...
[ Full text ]