Protests in Colombia: Paying tribute to armed group victims
Bogota mourners honor the victims of violence following peace agreements. President Petro speaks with armed groups; policy enforcement is inadequate. Decades of civil conflict in Colombia were supposed to come to an end with the historic peace agreement with the FARC, but since 2016, over 400 former rebel fighters and 1,100 community leaders have been killed in violence that has returned to areas the government has been unable to control. The most impacted groups are indigenous people and Afro-Columbians. Even with laws and rules in existence, there has been little enforcement and a lot of impunity. President Gustavo Petro started consultations with the surviving armed factions, but no progress has been made. Redistributing wealth and stopping the illicit enterprise are essential but challenging steps toward peace.
