Amid one of the deadliest waves of violence in Colombia since the signing of the 2016 Final Agreement for Ending the Conflict and Building a Stable and Lasting Peace, speakers in the Security Council today underscored the urgency of implementing the accord's security guarantees.
Carlos Ruiz Massieu, Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of the United Nations Verification Mission in Colombia, said that the first days of 2025 have been marred by violence in the country. "I am deeply saddened by the actions that have bloodied the remote Catatumbo region of north-east Colombia since late last week, claiming dozens of lives," he said. According to numerous reports, many of the victims were individually targeted and killed.
The bloodshed - the result of an attack by Ejército de Liberación Nacional (ELN) in an area of presence of a rival armed group known as Estado Mayor de los Bloques y Frentes (EMBF) - is part of the ongoing confrontation between armed groups in various areas of the country with a limited State presence. The success of the Ministry of the Interior's rapid response plan, aimed at accelerating the implementation of the 2016 peace agreement, will depend directly upon the availability of resources, he went on to say.
It is also critical to accelerate the implementation of the ethnic chapter of the Final Agreement, which focuses on the needs and protection of Colombia's Afro-Colombian and Indigenous communities. "The Bari and Yukpa are among the populations affected by the violence in Catatumbo," he said. Moving forward, the gender provisions of the peace agreement will require adequate funding, proactive leadership and constant engagement with women's organizations.
In the last six days alone, over 80 people have been killed in the Catatumbo region, 100 have been kidnapped and over 30,000 have been displaced, said Diego Tovar, Representative of the high contracting party to the Commission for the Follow-up, Promotion and Verification of the Implementation of the Final Agreement. He warned that the violence "threatens to spread to other regions", with ethnic communities, women and children being among the most affected by the reconfiguration of the armed actors.
Also, he added, impunity continues to be extremely high for the assassination of former combatants, reaching 90 per cent. Some ex-combatants remain imprisoned after the signing of the Agreement and are waiting for the jurisdiction to generate prompt solutions to their cases. Eight years on, the reintegration process remains precarious. Its non-implementation and persistent violence led 80 per cent of former combatants to leave their territorial areas, he said, pointing to their "massive displacements" in 2023 and 2024.
"From the outset, we have supported the importance of dialogue as a central axis in the construction of peace," he stated, underscoring that "total peace" must comply with international humanitarian law while developing the security measures foreseen in the Final Agreement. If the course of implementing the "total peace" policy is not corrected, it will become a serious risk for the Agreement's implementation, he cautioned.
Armando Wouriyu Valbuena, Secretary of the Special High-Level Body on Ethnic Peoples of Colombia, noted that ethnic peoples constitute 10 per cent of the Colombian population and occupy one third of national territory. "As such, we are environmental guardians for the rest of Colombians and the planet," he stressed. He recalled that ethnic and Indigenous groups were the only stakeholders to conclude an agreement with the Colombian Government and the former Fuerza Alternativa Revolucionaria del Común (FARC), leading to the Ethnic Chapter - a first in the history of peace agreements to have an ethnic perspective. However, after eight years of implementation, that Chapter continues to be the most neglected, despite being intended to solve underdevelopment for communities of African descent and Indigenous communities.
Substantive improvement in the pace of implementation requires that the instances provided for in the Agreement must be activated by the various stakeholders in peace. The committee on follow-up and implementation monitoring is an inactive body, he noted - but has the potential to bring together representatives of the Colombian State and peace agreement signatories of the now-extinct FARC. Calling on the Government "to include us in the 16 national sectoral plans for comprehensive rural reform and development plans", he noted that in the Catatumbo area, "former combatants and my brothers from the Bayou people are victims of displacement, and others of confinement" - further requesting that the National Commission enact security guarantees.
In the ensuing discussion, numerous delegates - among them, the representatives of Greece and Slovenia - echoed condemnation of recent incidents in Catatumbo that resulted in many casualties and massive displacements, while emphasizing the lack of security guarantees for former combatants, human rights defenders and social leaders, compounded by the limited State presence in areas previously occupied by FARC.
"The peacebuilding process in Colombia has come up against one of its most serious challenges since the signing of the peace agreement," observed the Russian Federation's representative. The violence has resulted in dozens of victims, including the killings of six signatories of the Final Agreement, and has led to the largest humanitarian crisis in decades. Calling for ELN and FARC dissident groups to immediately cease violence and hostilities, he voiced concern over the lack of security for ex-combatants, social leaders and all victims of the conflict.
France's delegate said that interinstitutional coordination is key for the acceleration of progress on the peace accord and condemned the resumption of violence in Catatumbo. "The ceasefire agreement should guarantee the security of all ex-combatants," he added.
"We hope all Colombians will forge ahead with unwavering confidence and maintain unity," said China's delegate, calling for new gains on the security side and enhanced protection of vulnerable groups.
In the same vein, Pakistan's representative said that "peace embodies more than the mere absence of conflict". Accordingly, he underlined the need to create conditions that prevent the resurgence of violence by providing justice, ensuring safety and building a social and economic edifice that caters to the needs of all peoples.
The representative of Guyana, also speaking for Algeria, Sierra Leone and Somalia, welcomed the recent reintegration of 12,000 former combatants while encouraging the Government to redouble efforts to address impediments to the effective implementation of the Ethnic Chapter. Condemning the recruitment of children by armed groups and noting an increase in that activity, she demanded the immediate end of that practice. Emphasizing that attacks by armed groups have led to increased displacement of civilians - with Indigenous and Afro-Colombians bearing the brunt of the violence - she welcomed recent progress made on the public policy plan to dismantle armed groups.
Carlos Ruíz-Hernández, Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs of Panama, said that Colombia is an example that political willingness is essential to restore the social fabric of a State. Recognizing the complexities of the Final Agreement, he expressed concern that disputes and clashes continue near the Panamanian border and underscored that protection of civilians must be "at the heart" of any effort to resolve the conflict.
The representative of the United States urged the Government of Colombia to continue its commitment to attaining justice for victims and survivors of the conflict. Absent these efforts, Colombia will continue to face challenges in meeting its security, stability and counter-narcotics goals. For its part, Washington, D.C., has contributed over $2.1 billion to support the peace accord's implementation. "Many women and young people currently experiencing great trauma from the ongoing violence they suffer or witness the effects of which will continue to be felt for some time," she added, adding that they must be part of the conversation in building a peaceful future in Colombia.
Echoing that sentiment, the United Kingdom's delegate cited the publication of Colombia's first-ever Women, Peace and Security National Action Plan as "an important tool" to reinforce the implementation of the 2016 Final Agreement and shine a spotlight on the violence that women and girls continue to face.
Denmark's representative strongly condemned violence against social leaders, including Indigenous and Afro-Colombians, stressing that "the increasing trend of homicides against leaders in environmental protection and land restitution must be reversed".
Relatedly, her counterpart from the Republic of Korea expressed concerns about Bogota's budget cuts for 2025 and their potential impact on rural reform initiatives. "Given that inequitable land distribution has been a root cause of Colombia's decades-long conflict, accelerating the pace of rural reform is crucial for achieving sustainable peace," he added.
"Peace is not a utopia, but a reality that is possible with enough determination and commitment," stated Luis Gilberto Murillo, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Colombia, condemning the war crimes and crimes against humanity perpetrated by ELN and the dissidents of the 33rd Front in Catatumbo. The murders of the peace signatories are unacceptable, he said, adding: "We will not rest until justice is served for these acts of absolute violence."
"We suspended peace talks with ELN because peace requires reciprocity," he asserted, urging armed organizations to cease violence and clearly demonstrate their willingness for peace. However, he emphasized that "Colombia is not renouncing peace"; people from the most vulnerable communities, up to the leaders fighting in the country, continue to build peace. The State Ministers have launched a plan to accelerate the implementation of the detailed Final Agreement, which, in recent months, has generated significant achievements, he said, stressing that "total peace - the cornerstone of our commitment to life - must be made a reality".
