Colombia’s security situation has worsened under President Ivan Duque to a point comparable to the most violent period of the country’s armed conflict, according to a think tank.
According to conflict investigator Leonardo Gonzalez of think tank Indepaz, “in terms of security, we are getting close to the worst period of violence in recent decades.”
Gonzalez said that the security situation threatens to deteriorate to a level similar to that of the period between 2002 and 2006 when former President Alvaro Uribe, Duque’s allegedly criminal patron, was in office.
The humanitarian agency of the United Nations confirmed that almost 3 million Colombians were affected by conflict related violence so far this year.
Failing peace and security policies
According to Gonzalez, the surge in violence is due to Duque’s neglect to implement a 2016 peace deal with now-defunct guerrilla group FARC and an “ineffective security policy.”
Indepaz investigator Leonardo Gonzalez
To illustrate the gravity of the situation, Indepaz said that 930 human rights defenders and community leaders have been assassinated since Duque took office in 2018.
So far this year, 81 social leaders have been assassinated, according to the think tank.
Assassinations of social leaders
At least 245 of the approximately 13,000 former FARC members who signed peace in 2016 were assassinated after Duque took office.
In the same period, Indepaz registered 261 massacres in which 1,144 people were killed.
Victims of massacres since Duque took office
According to the Defense Ministry, more than 58,000 people were murdered since 2019.
In the first four months of this year, the police registered the highest number of homicides since 2013 when the FARC was still in arms.
At least 6 soldiers killed in ambush in northwest Colombia
Almost 3 million victims of violence so far this year: UN
Car incinerated by alleged AGC paramilitaries. (Image: Twitter)
According to the United Nations’ humanitarian agency OCHA, almost 3 million Colombians were affected by conflict-related violence so far this year compared to less than 119,000 last year.
More than 78,900 of these victims were forcibly displaced or confined to their homes because of armed conflict, which has raged in the Pacific region and the northeastern Arauca province.
OCHA
Millions of people were affected by lockdowns that were imposed by guerrilla group ELN and paramilitary organization AGC earlier this year.
Victimization rates so far in 2022
Human rights violations by security forces soar
Human rights violations and crimes against humanity allegedly committed by the security forces also soared under Duque, particularly in response to anti-government protests in 2019 and last year.
According to human rights NGO Temblores, 161 people allegedly became the victim of police brutality this year.
Police assassinated at least 44 protesters and physically assaulted more than 1,660 people during anti-government protests that lasted between late April and mid-July last year, Indepaz said in April.
At least 35 women were sexually abused by police during the protests, think tank said.
More than 2,000 people were arbitrarily arrested, according to Indepaz. Hundreds of these protesters were arrested on apparently trumped up criminal charges, including terrorism.
The extreme violence used to quell the largely peaceful protests led to international outrage.