The International Committee of the Red Cross reported on Tuesday that the impact of armed conflict on civilians in Colombia over the past year has been the most severe in a decade, as the country’s security situation continues to worsen.
The humanitarian organization highlighted that the number of individuals displaced due to clashes between criminal gangs, rebels, and the Colombian state doubled in 2025, reaching 235,000 people.
Additionally, the number of people subjected to lockdowns imposed by rebel groups in small towns and villages rose by 99% last year.
For decades, rebel groups and drug traffickers have battled the Colombian government for control of rural territories, including key routes associated with the cocaine trade.
A peace agreement in 2016 between the Colombian government and its largest rebel faction, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), initially reduced rural violence.
However, the security landscape has worsened in many regions as smaller groups aim to dominate areas previously controlled by FARC, imposing taxes on local businesses and intimidating residents.
“The humanitarian situation in 2025 is the result of a progressive deterioration that the ICRC has warned about since 2018,” stated Olivier Dubois, the ICRC’s chief of mission in Colombia.
Over the past four years, President Gustavo Petro’s administration has sought to decrease violence in rural Colombia by engaging in peace talks with the remaining rebel groups and establishing ceasefires with some factions.
Critics argue that these ceasefires have allowed rebel groups to regroup, rearm, and tighten their control over communities, leading to increased recruitment of children into criminal ranks.
Political violence has also intensified, evidenced by the assassination of a presidential candidate who was shot in the head during a rally in Bogota last year, later succumbing to his injuries. Authorities have attributed this attack to one of the rebel groups.
In February, the United Nations Human Rights office in Colombia reported a “backsliding” security situation, noting a 9% increase in murders of human rights defenders last year.
The Red Cross also reported that in 2025, 965 people were killed or injured by explosive devices, including landmines and drones, marking a 33% increase from the previous year.
The organization called on all parties involved in Colombia’s armed conflict to uphold civilian rights and protect those opting out of hostilities.
“Respect for international humanitarian law is not optional,” emphasized the humanitarian group.
