In its latest annual report released May 12, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) found that the armed conflict in Colombia saw the “worst humanitarian consequences” of the past decade in 2025. The number of people killed or injured by explosive devices rose by 34% to 965, overwhelmingly non-combatants. The number of individual disappearances doubled to 308. Violations of international humanitarian law documented by the ICRC reached 845 cases, while figures for displacement and “confinement” doubled. According to the Comprehensive Victim Support & Reparation Unit (UARIV), at least 235,619 people were displaced individually in 2025, while 87,069 were displaced in mass displacement events, and 176,730 remained “confined” in communities under siege by armed actors. (TNH, ReliefWeb)
Map: PCL
Deadly clashes in Colombia’s Guaviare
More than 50 people have been killed in clashes between two factions of the “dissident” Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) that has remained in arms despite the peace process. They are evidently fighting for control over strategic drug trafficking routes in the southern region of Guaviare. The government said that casualties include minorswho are being increasingly recruited by armed groups. Colombia is holding presidential elections on May 31, following an extremely polarized race. (TNH)
Stakes high in Colombia election
More than 41 million Colombians are eligible to vote in this weekend’s monumental first-round presidential election. The stakes are high: will one of the region’s last major progressive bastions extend its political project, or will it succumb to the right-wing surge that has recently taken power back from the left in Argentina, Chile, Honduras and Bolivia? Early signs suggest the left’s candidate Senator Iván Cepeda is well-positioned to finish first, but it remains unclear whether he will clear the 50% threshold needed to avoid a runoff.
A senator, philosopher and human rights activist whose father was assassinated in 1994, Cepeda catapulted to the top of the left’s field in part because of his role in the case that led to the conviction of former right-wing president Álvaro Uribe on charges related to paramilitary ties last August. Confident that he will finish the day in first place, Cepeda has spent the waning days of his campaign focused on mobilizing enough voters to win outright in the first round. He closed his campaign in the coastal city of Barranquilla, where more than 80,000 supporters packed a rally that reflected the broad enthusiasm his campaign has generated across the country.
In his closing address, Cepeda reiterated the key themes of his campaign, including his vow to crack down on corruption and continue much of the agenda of his predecessor, Gustavo Petro. He also returned to his vision of social change, asserting that his government’s “main commitment will be to the poor” and arguing that “when inequality is reduced, when historical injustice is repaired, and when the state protects those who were never protected, all of society is better and advances.”
Cepeda’s rally, staged in a popular barrio in which he laid out a progressive vision of society, contrasted starkly with that of his leading challenger, far-right lawyer Abelardo de la Espriella. Fittingly for a man whose policies are more spectacle than substance, de la Espriella closed his campaign with an over-the-top rally in Medellín. Encased in a bullet-proof box, he waved his fists around, vowed to “die” defending Colombia’s honor, and urged his supporters—whom he calls “defenders of the homeland”—to join him in doing so “by reason or by force.”
The rhetoric is consistent with a candidate who is seen by many as a “Colombian Bukele.” De la Espriella has promised to abandon peace talks and double down on military force to confront the country’s armed conflict. Like other leaders of the global far right, he has cast himself as an anti-establishment outsider. Yet nothing could be further from the truth: he has spent much of his career as a lawyer representing powerful political and business interests. His history of defending controversial figures, alleged ties to right-wing paramilitary groups, and hardline proposals have led critics to dub him a “narcolawyer.” The first-time candidate, who calls himself “The Tiger,” was living in Italy before launching his presidential bid.
Recent polling suggests that de la Espriella has overtaken Paloma Valencia, the candidate of the traditional right and a protegée of former President Uribe. After dominating the March primary of a coalition of right-wing parties, Valencia was widely expected to emerge as the strongest conservative contender. While some analysts still believe she could outperform expectations, Colombian voters appear to be tiring of the traditional right. Even so, her primary victory and a sizable pool of undecided voters make the outcome far from certain.
The left’s current strength cannot be separated from Petro’s successful presidency. Though Cepeda trails both de la Espriella and Valencia in hypothetical runoff scenarios, early polling for the 2026 election took a right-wing victory as a foregone conclusion. Petro’s recent surge in popularity has complicated that narrative. Despite governing amid immense constraints, Colombia’s first left-wing president has presided over historic gains for the country’s popular classes. While Colombia continues to grapple with serious challenges—not least an ongoing armed conflict that has been politically damaging for Cepeda—the left’s time in power has shown that improving the material conditions of the working classes is a popular project. Petro is set to leave office with an approval rating near 50 percent—more than double that of his last two predecessors. (NACLA Update)
Colombia’s presidential election goes to run-off
Colombia’s presidential election will go to a runoff June 21 between a leftist and right-wing candidate on opposite ends of the political spectrum, after the May 31 vote produced no overall winner.
The right-wing Abelardo de la Espriella, an admirer of Donald Trump, came top in the vote, followed closely by the left-wing senator Iván Cepeda, an ally of the current president Gustavo Petro. (BBC News)