99 forced disappearances linked to Colombia armed conflict this year
The report comes as Colombia’s long-running internal conflict experiences its most violent period in a decade. The post 99 forced disappearances linked to Colombia armed conflict this year appeared first on The Bogotá Post .
In Colombia's ongoing armed conflict, at least 99 individuals were forcibly disappeared between January and July, according to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). These incidents occurred across 14 regions, with a significant concentration in Cauca, Norte de Santander, and Antioquia, accounting for 59% of the cases.
Additionally, 36 of the disappearances involved minors. The ICRC, representing the organization's regional delegation in Bogotá, emphasized that each disappearance is a painful humanitarian consequence of armed conflicts, leaving families with uncertainty about their loved ones' fate. International Humanitarian Law requires a commitment to prevent such disappearances and locate missing persons.
The ICRC highlighted the progress made by Colombian authorities in adopting a comprehensive policy for assistance, prevention, search, and identification of missing persons, but acknowledged ongoing challenges in coordination and access to essential information. The conflict between criminal groups and state forces has intensified in recent years, leading to the displacement of around 101,200 people in early 2026, as reported by the United Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
President Abelardo de la Espriella recently took office, vowing to reject the previous administration's approach of negotiating with armed groups and instead resorting to military force to combat criminality. While many Colombians support this stance, the nation remains divided on the optimal strategy for addressing the conflict, with concerns that increased militarization could exacerbate bloodshed and rise the count of forced disappearances.
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