Social leaders are some of the most visible victims of Colombia’s internal armed conflict. Despite a slight decrease — arguably linked to negotiations between armed groups and the government — ACLED records 227 targeted attacks against them in 2023, particularly in areas where armed groups vie for control of drug trafficking corridors and resources. Armed groups target social leaders to enforce criminal governance, alongside other expressions of violence targeting communities in these areas, such as extortion, armed curfews, forced recruitment, confinement, and displacement. This form of violence represents one of the main challenges for President Gustavo Petro’s plan to seek a negotiated settlement with the armed groups to put an end to the country’s protracted armed conflict.
Visual and graphic design by Ciro Murillo and Christina De Paris.
