The mass killing of social leaders continued in 2022 despite government efforts to increase their protection and reduce violence in general.
According to think tank Indepaz, 189 community leaders and human rights defenders were assassinated last year against 171 in 2021.
The registered assassinations took place throughout Colombia, according to Indepaz’s registry of violence related to Colombia’s armed conflict.
Assassinations of social leaders
With the exception of October, when 20 social leaders were assassinated, the deadly violence reduced significantly after President Gustavo Petro took office in August.
The Petro administration has been gradually implementing its “Total Peace” policy, which includes negotiations with the illegal armed groups suspected of most of the killings.
In December, guerrilla group ELN and the main groups by the now-defunct guerrilla group FARC upheld a unilateral ceasefire, according to the president.
According to Indepaz, 11 social leaders were assassinated last month, including in areas presumed to be under control by these guerrilla groups.
In Buenaventura, the assassinations of urban social leaders apparently ended after a ceasefire by urban gangs that control the Pacific port city.
This ceasefire is one of the “Total Peace” initiatives promoted by Petro and the Catholic Church to reduce violence.
The government also made changes in the organization of the security forces in an attempt to step up the protection of social leaders against violence by illegal armed groups.
The prevention of violence against social leaders was already a priority in an ongoing peace process that followed an agreement with the FARC in 2016.
Between that year and 2022, more than 1,550 community leaders and rights defenders were assassinated, according to Indepaz.