Violence against social leaders in Colombia

In August 2026, Colombia’s Defense Minister Pedro Arnulfo Sánchez Suárez corrected previous claims regarding the safety of social leaders, admitting that homicides of these individuals have actually risen compared to the prior period. He clarified that a reported 33% reduction in killings applied specifically to former combatants from the 2016 peace agreement, rather than social leaders at large. The minister noted that Operation THEMIS had issued 300 capture orders against suspects involved in attacks on peace-process signatories between March 2024 and June 2026.

By late August 2026, the Ombudsman Office (Defensoría del Pueblo) reported that 90 social leaders and human rights defenders had been murdered between January and July 2026. The report highlighted that victims were often involved in community processes in regions influenced by illegal armed groups. During this same period, 77 massacres resulted in 300 deaths.

Regional data indicated that Cauca recorded the highest number of murders (21) and massacres (13), followed by Antioquia. While some reports suggest a reduction in murders compared to the previous administration, the current rate averages one social leader killed every two and a half days.