4.3.3. Former combatants of the FARC-EP

4.3.3. Former combatants of the FARC-EP

Many former FARC-EP combatants who signed on to the 2016 Final Agreement have been killed and 'thousands' displaced.684 Since 2016, 481 killings of former combatants have been recorded by the UN (including 11 women, 63 Indigenous persons, and 58 Afro-Colombians), as well as 164 attempted homicides (including 17 women) and 57 disappearances (including one woman).685 According to Indepaz, 50 former combatants were killed in 2023 and 31 in 2024.686 The UN reported that there were 48 former combatants who were killed in 2023, 33 in 2024687 and 29 as of June 2025.688 The Office of the Ombudsperson reported that 21 signatories were murdered between 1 January and 31 May 2025,689 and Indepaz reported 33 killings between January and October 2025.690 The departments most affected were Arauca, Cauca, Guaviare, Meta, Antioquia, and Huila.691 Threats by armed groups have driven instances of mass displacement.692

In 2025, the UNVMC described a 'worsening pattern of violence' against this profile, highlighting problems of stigmatisation, displacement, and lack of protection.693 The killings, largely committed by illegal armed groups, are mainly centred in municipalities with illicit economies, and a limited state presence, which hinders the state's response.694 Former combatants encountered 'heightened threats in areas where fluid conflict dynamics have led to multiple armed actors moving into and disputing areas where they have settled'.695

The IACHR indicated that the government launched a new security plan for this profile in 2024.696 In September 2025, the UNVMC stated that, during the reporting period, 18 arrest warrants against alleged perpetrators of attacks on former combatants were issued (half of which have yet to be executed). These included two warrants against alleged instigators of the attacks.697 Additionally, five convictions were obtained (not involving any of the instigators).698 The UNVMC indicated that 'out of a total of 595 cases of attacks against former combatants under the purview of the Special Investigation Unit of the FGN, there had been 97 convictions, and 190 cases were reported as in trial phase. Impunity following attacks against former FARC-EP combatants remains high, underscoring a need for strengthened capacities of the Special Investigation Unit, as well as for improved coordination between the latter and other specialised units of that focus on illicit economies and organized crime'.699