Non-international armed conflicts in Colombia

Confinement and human shields

Reports indicate armed groups used civilians as human shields (often alongside the confinement of communities) – a conduct strictly prohibited by IHL and contrary to the principles of distinction and the duty to separate civilians from military objectives whenever feasible. Whether driven by armed confrontations, the presence of explosive devices, or a deliberate tactic used by armed groups to protect their forces against attacks, confinement of civilians increased markedly, preventing many of them – particularly Indigenous and Afro-descendant people – from leaving their homes, restricting access to basic necessities, and exposing them to killing, injury and, for children, unlawful recruitment. Accounts describe incursions into homes and civilians forced to stand between opposing fighters, with the pattern continuing into 2025 across multiple areas.

Forced displacement remains the principal driver of humanitarian emergencies in Colombia although displacement of civilians is prohibited under IHL unless civilians’ security or imperative military reasons so demand. Communities are uprooted by improvised anti-personnel mines, but more often by direct threats, fear of recruitment (including of children) and escalating violence linked to armed groups’ efforts to consolidate territorial control and illicit activities. Indigenous and Afro-descendant communities are disproportionately affected. Displacement affected many departments, including Antioquia, Bolivar, Catatumbo, Cauca and Chocó, with Nariño the most affected, and often involved civilians being barred from returning under threat. Alongside mass movements, individuals and small groups flee due to threats, assassinations, extortion, intimidation, forced recruitment and risks of sexual violence, notably in Valle del Cauca.

Humanitarian access was severely curtailed in 2024 in areas most affected by combat and rising needs as armed groups failed to comply on multiple occasions with their obligation to allow and facilitate humanitarian relief. In 2025, OCHA recorded numerous restrictions on access affecting both humanitarian organizations and the population. Armed groups frequently accused civilians of aiding enemies simply for remaining in their communities, and repeatedly restricted or denied relief on the ground that assistance would benefit adversaries rather than civilians in need.

Attacks against Health Facilities

Multiple attacks on hospitals were documented in Colombia in 2024. In many cases, perpetrators could not be reliably identified, but certain attacks were attributed to FARC-EP dissidents (including the EMC) and, to a lesser extent, the CDF, the EGC and the ELN, as well as State armed forces.

Recruitment of Children

Child recruitment and use in hostilities increased in 2024 in areas under armed group control, involving adolescents and some children under 15. Such recruitment is a serious IHL violation and a war crime. Reports included recruitment of girls as young as 12, with prior data indicating most recruits are aged 12-17. In 2024, hundreds of children were recruited, primarily by FARC-EP dissidents and also by the ELN and EGC, with a small number involving the army. Some were used in active combat. Recruitment relied on financial inducements, seduction, social networks and threats. Most confirmed cases occurred in six departments, predominantly in Cauca, and disproportionately affected Indigenous and Afro-descendant children. Recruits suffered sexual violence and corporal punishment, including mutilation, were sometimes forced to recruit other children, and faced killings, torture and enforced disappearances when attempting to leave or due to rivalries.

Arbitrary deprivation of liberty and hostage taking, commonly referred to as secuestro, have long been used by Colombian armed groups to raise funds and for political or military leverage. Despite a December 2023 agreement between the government and the ELN to suspend extortion-motivated kidnappings, incidents persisted among armed groups including the ELN, and the latter later denounced the agreement. Government bodies registered hundreds of kidnappings during the reporting period. Although military personnel were also targeted, civilians, including children, were the most frequent victims of abductions, attributed notably to the ELN and FARC-EP dissident groups. Several instances of arbitrary detention by police or the military were also reported. These practices breach prohibitions on arbitrary deprivation of liberty and, where applicable, hostage taking, which under IHL is a war crime.

Enforced disappearances related to armed conflict and violence rose in 2024 compared with the previous year, affecting mainly civilians but also sometimes involving members of armed groups and, to a lesser extent, security forces. Most documented cases were concentrated in Arauca, Bolívar, Cauca, Chocó, Nariño, Norte de Santander and Valle del Cauca. Such disappearances are prohibited under customary IHL applicable to NIACs and have been described as part of armed groups’ strategy to terrorize the civilian population, and in some instances as resulting from irregular deprivation of liberty, recruitment, murder or mismanagement of bodies.

Cases of forced labour, prohibited under IHL applicable to NIACs, were recorded during the reporting period. Reports indicate that Frente 33 of the EMBF established resocialization camps in Catatumbo where people deemed to have violated the group’s rules were compelled to work. Testimony describes abductions from homes, prolonged daily labour, the killing of some workers, and sexual violence perpetrated by Frente 33 commanders against women and girls held in the camp.

Conflict related sexual violence rose in 2024, affecting mostly women and girls but also men and people of diverse sexual orientation and gender identity. Sexual violence was concentrated in six departments and formed part of armed groups’ strategies of social control as well as of illicit income through trafficking for sexual exploitation. Primary victims included Indigenous and Afro descendant persons, migrants, child recruits and confined populations, with abuses such as rape, child marriage and forced contraception, including of girls as young as 12. Most violations were attributed to armed groups, though incidents committed by security forces were also verified. Some armed groups also used sexual mutilation to terrorize populations. Under-reporting remained significant due to stigma and limited services. Sexual violence is prohibited by IHL, and serious violations are war crimes.

Official data indicate that 4.5 per cent of Colombians over five years of age live with disabilities, with visual impairments the most prevalent. Although the existing framework requires Colombia to take all necessary measures to protect persons with disabilities in armed conflict, they have been largely excluded from peace talks, and those with psychosocial and intellectual impairments have been described as invisible. The widespread use of anti-personnel mines and IEDs causes traumatic amputations requiring lifelong care.