On International Women’s Day, ABColombia calls on the UK Government to strengthen and further develop its newly released – and weakened – Human Rights Defenders Guidelines. Civic space is shrinking and women human rights defenders globally are under attack. Colombia is a clear example, for decades it has been the most dangerous country in the...
In November, ABColombia had the honour of hosting women human rights defenders Katerin Jurado (director) and Yirley Velasco (director), of the Colombian organisations Sisma Mujer and Mujeres Sembrando Vida, respectively. Their visit to London was part of a European advocacy tour highlighting the urgent challenges facing women in Colombia within the context of the ongoing...
On 7 and 8 July, ABColombia had the pleasure of welcoming Monsignor Hector Fabio Henao to London for a series of meetings with parliamentarians, government officials, and think tank representatives. The visit aimed to shed light on the current humanitarian crisis in Colombia and offer practical recommendations for how UK authorities and civil society can...
Event organised in the UK parliament by The Trade Justice Movement, War on Want, Global Justice Now, Justice for Colombia and ABColombia together with the APPG on Human Rights (PHRG) This event was well attended by parliamentarians to hear from the speakers: H.E. Roy Barreras, Colombian Ambassador to the UK, Tom Willis, Director of the...
The Comuneros del Sur is a faction of the ELN, that broke away from the ELN in May 2024 when they decided, against the wishes of the Central Control of the ELN, to conduct their own Regional Peace Talks with the Colombian Government. Comuneros del Sur operate in the department of Nariño, and consist of...
At the UN Security Council in April 2025, Ambassador James Kariuki, UK Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN, highlighted the importance of fully implementing the Colombian 2016 Peace Accord to promote lasting peace in Colombia. Colombia’s plan to implement a a Rapid Response Plan, committed to accelerate implementation and deliver real change in PDET areas...
The Autodefensas Conquistadoras de la Sierra Nevada (ACSN), also known as Los Pachenca, is an armed group that emerged following the demobilization of the paramilitary army in 2006 on Colombia’s Caribbean coast. Since then, the ACSN has consolidated its power in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, in the department of Magdalena, where it controls drug...
Today, 24 November 2024, marks the eighth anniversary of the signing of the 2016 Peace Accord between the Colombian government and the Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia – Ejército del Pueblo (FARC-EP). This historic agreement led to one of the biggest weapons laydowns in history, and one of the most impressive and complex peace processes...
The armed conflict in Colombia has lasted for over 50 years. Peace negotiations, like the historic Peace Accord between the Colombian government and the FARC-EP in 2016, have attempted to bring an end to decades of violence, and the administration of President Gustavo Petro has introduced an ambitious policy of Paz Total (Total Peace). Under...
The Autodefensas Gaitanistas de Colombia (also known as the Clan del Golfo or Ejército Gaitanista de Colombia – AGC) was formed by paramilitary commanders that refused to demobilise along with the rest of the Autodefensas Unidas de Colombia (AUC), a right-wing paramilitary group, in 2005. The AGC’s current activities include drug trafficking, illegal mining, extortion, human trafficking...
