Colombia faces evolving security threats from fragmented armed groups

Colombia faces a complex security landscape as armed structures evolve following the 2016 peace agreement with the FARC-EP. Rather than disappearing, these groups have fragmented and reorganized into diverse entities, including the ELN, various FARC dissidents, the Ejército Gaitanista de Colombia, and the Autodefensas Conquistadoras de la Sierra Nevada.

These groups now blend political objectives, territorial control, and illegal economies, creating a humanitarian crisis characterized by forced displacement, child recruitment, disappearances, and extortion. Experts suggest that traditional security approaches, such as strictly military-focused 'iron fist' policies or treating all groups as identical terrorist organizations, may fail to address the reality of how these actors govern social and economic relations in specific territories.

There is a growing concern that current government strategies may prioritize media perception over deep investigation into the violent recovery capacity of these groups. Effective policy requires a nuanced understanding of whether these actors function as ideological guerrillas or criminal enterprises to avoid ineffective military and negotiation strategies.