3.2.5. Pacific coastal areas of Nariño, Cauca, Valle del Cauca, and Chocó

3.2.5. Pacific coastal areas of Nariño, Cauca, Valle del Cauca, and Chocó

Chocó, that borders Panama,³⁶⁵ is a strategic area for the trafficking of drugs and arms366 and for the illegal mining exploitation, especially gold.³⁶⁷Several illegal armed groups have presence in the area, including the ELN and AGC/Gulf Clan.368 Illegal armed actors have been increasing in Chocó, as well as armed confrontations among them in their dispute for control over territories.369 The Office of the Ombudsperson indicated that, between January and September 2025, over 18 900 people in Chocó were affected by confinement by illegal armed groups.370 The same source indicated that 2 927 people were displaced, with the municipalities most affected including Quibdó (74 people, 17 families), Nóvita (80 people, 20 families), Medio Atrato (197 people, 45 families), and Alto Baudó (81 people, 20 families).371 The same source indicated that over 18 900 people were victims of confinement by illegal armed groups, particularly in the municipalities of Nuquí (1 293 people, 387 families), Sipí (1 223 people, 387 families), Alto Baudó (843 people, 248 families), and Almaguer (3 746 people, 1 860 families).372

Nariño is part of a strategic corridor that connects Colombia with Ecuador.373 It also has plenty of rivers and waterways that facilitate the transport of illicit goods and mobility of illegal armed groups.374 FARC dissident groups and the recently founded Self-Defence Forces of Nariño (Autodefensas Unidas de Nariño, AUN) are known to dispute strategic areas of Nariño,375 particularly Cumbitara, Los Andes, Tumaco, El Rosario, Samaniego, Ricaurte, Abades, Guambuyaco, and Piedemonte Costero.376 Pares reported that armed confrontations among illegal armed groups have led to displacements, forced disappearances, selective killings, and threats.377 The Office of the Ombudsperson indicated that, between January and September 2025, 5 090 people were displaced, and the municipalities most affected included Cumbitara (167 people, 84 families) and El Charco (1 937 people, 808 families).378 The Danish Refugee Council (DRC) reported that, between June and August 2025, 67 violent events were recorded in Nariño, including 35 attacks against civilians (661 people affected), 15 armed confrontations (9 affected), 9 instances of restrictions to the access of humanitarian assistance in affected areas (5 634 affected), and 6 forced displacement events (1 749 affected).379

In Cauca, armed groups disputing territory include FARC dissident groups and the ELN.380 Areas of dispute concentrate in northern and southern Cauca, in municipalities such as Balboa, Argelia, Santa Rosa, Macizo, Oriente, the Pacific coast, and Guapi Timbiquí.381 Illegal armed groups reportedly employ exemplary violence such as torture, to prevent community opposition.382 The Office of the Ombudsperson, however, noted that humanitarian emergencies also occur in other municipalities, including Cajibío, Caldono, Caloto, Santander de Quilichao, and others.383 In September 2025, the Office of the Ombudsperson indicated that armed actors engage in armed confrontations with other armed actors, using explosives and gas cylinders, often indiscriminately, and that they also impose social norms in the territories they control. This same source indicated further in a report released at the end of October 2025 that, even if the State and governmental forces have increased their presence in Cauca to mitigate the violence in 2025, the situation remains very difficult, with one in four cases of minor forced recruitment nationally occurring in Cauca between January and October 2025. As mentioned further in this report, Cauca is also the department where the most social leaders were assassinated so far in 2025.384

In Valle del Cauca, areas of dispute concentrate in Calima and Buenaventura.385 The Office of the Ombudsperson, however, noted that humanitarian emergencies also occur in other municipalities, including Ansermanuevo, Jamundí, San Pedro, Tuluá, and others.386 Illegal armed actors in Valle del Cauca include main armed groups like the ELN, FARC dissident groups, the AGC, and powerful regional organised crime gangs such as the Shottas and the Espartanos in Buenaventura or La Inmaculada in Tuluá.387 The Office of the Ombudsperson indicated that armed actors are disputing the control over the Garrapatas Canyon, engaging in armed confrontations with rival groups in rural areas and the outskirts of small towns.388