If you ask someone in Bogotá about the Colombia civil war, they might correct you. They'll probably call it "El Conflicto." It’s a mess. It's been running for over sixty years, making it the longest-running internal conflict in the Western Hemisphere. You’ve likely seen the headlines about the FARC, Pablo Escobar, or the 2016 peace deal that won President Juan Manuel Santos a Nobel Prize. But here’s the thing: peace on paper doesn't always mean peace on the ground. For millions of Colombians in the "deep" countryside—places like Chocó or Catatumbo—the war never really stopped. It just changed shapes.
Basically, the conflict is a tangled web of guerrillas, paramilitaries, drug cartels, and a government that, for a long time, couldn't quite reach every corner of its own map. It’s not a simple "good guys vs. bad guys" story. It’s a story about land. It’s a story about who gets to eat and who gets to rule.
Where the Colombia Civil War Actually Started
Most people think this all started with the FARC in the 60s. Wrong. To understand why Colombians are still fighting, you have to go back to 1948. A popular politician named Jorge Eliécer Gaitán was gunned down in the streets of Bogotá. People went absolutely ballistic. This sparked La Violencia, a ten-year stretch of pure chaos between the Liberal and Conservative parties. We’re talking 200,000 dead.
The two parties eventually made a deal to swap power back and forth, but they left everyone else out. If you were a poor farmer, you had no voice. This vacuum is what birthed the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) and the National Liberation Army (ELN) in 1964. They were originally peasant uprisings inspired by the Cuban Revolution. They wanted land reform. They wanted equality.
But then came the 80s.
Cocaine changed everything. The ideology started to blur because, honestly, running a war is expensive. The guerrillas started taxing the drug trade. Then, wealthy landowners—tired of being kidnapped by the FARC—started their own private armies called paramilitaries. By the 90s, the Colombia civil war had turned into a three-way free-for-all fueled by white powder and kidnapping ransoms.
✨ Don't miss: Will Palestine Ever Be Free: What Most People Get Wrong
The 2016 Peace Accord: Success or Failure?
In 2016, the world cheered. The Colombian government and the FARC signed a massive, 300-page peace agreement in Havana. The FARC handed over their guns (over 7,000 of them) and became a political party.
It was supposed to be the end. It wasn't.
One major issue was the "power vacuum." When the FARC left the jungle, the government didn't move in fast enough to build schools, roads, or clinics. Other groups did. The ELN, Gulf Clan (Clan del Golfo), and "FARC dissidents" (the guys who refused to sign the deal) rushed in to take over the abandoned coca plantations and illegal gold mines.
Why the Violence Persists
Violence today is different. It’s less about big battles and more about targeted hits. According to Indepaz, hundreds of social leaders and former FARC fighters have been assassinated since the deal was signed. If you stand up for land rights or try to convince farmers to stop growing coca, you become a target. It's brutal.
- The ELN factor: Unlike the FARC, the ELN is still very much active. They have a horizontal leadership structure, which makes them incredibly hard to negotiate with because there’s no single "boss" who speaks for everyone.
- Dissident groups: There are roughly 5,000 "dissidents" operating today. Some are genuine ideologues; others are just cartels using a political name.
- The Drug Trade: Colombia is still producing record amounts of cocaine. As long as the global demand exists, there will be someone willing to pick up a rifle to protect the supply chain.
The Human Cost Most People Miss
We often talk about the Colombia civil war in terms of politics, but the statistics from the Truth Commission (Comisión de la Verdad) are staggering. Over 450,000 people were killed between 1958 and 2018. But the number that really hurts is the displacement. Over 8 million Colombians have been forced to flee their homes.
🔗 Read more: JD Vance River Raised Controversy: What Really Happened in Ohio
You see this in cities like Medellín or Cali. You’ll see neighborhoods built on steep hillsides by people who had to leave their farms in the middle of the night because a group told them "leave or die." These are internal refugees. They lost their land, their history, and their livelihoods.
There’s also the "False Positives" scandal. This is a dark chapter where members of the military murdered thousands of civilians and dressed them up as guerrilla fighters to boost their "body counts" and earn promotions. The JEP (Special Jurisdiction for Peace) has been digging into this, and the numbers are way higher than anyone originally admitted—at least 6,402 victims.
What’s Happening Right Now?
Under President Gustavo Petro, the first leftist leader in Colombia’s history, there’s a new push called "Total Peace" (Paz Total). He’s trying to talk to everyone at once—the ELN, the gangs, the dissidents.
It’s a bold move. It’s also incredibly controversial.
Critics say he’s giving too much away and letting criminals off the hook. Supporters argue that after 60 years of shooting, maybe talking is the only thing left to try. The reality is somewhere in the middle. Ceasefires are signed and then broken. Some groups use the "peace talks" as a chance to recruit more kids and expand their territory. It's a messy, frustrating process.
💡 You might also like: Who's the Next Pope: Why Most Predictions Are Basically Guesswork
Understanding the Role of the US
You can't talk about this without mentioning the United States. Through "Plan Colombia," the US has pumped billions of dollars into the country. Most of it went to the military to fight drugs and guerrillas. While it helped push the FARC to the negotiating table, it didn't stop the flow of drugs. Now, there’s a shift toward "holistic" help—trying to help farmers grow coffee or cacao instead of coca. But changing a rural economy takes decades, not years.
Actionable Insights for the Informed Observer
If you're looking to understand or support Colombia beyond the headlines, focus on these three areas:
1. Track the JEP (Special Jurisdiction for Peace)
This is the most important legal experiment in the world right now. It focuses on restorative justice rather than just punishment. Watching how they handle high-ranking military and guerrilla leaders will tell you if the peace deal is actually holding.
2. Support "Crop Substitution" Products
The best way to end the violence in the countryside is to make coca less profitable than legal crops. When you buy Colombian specialty coffee, honey, or cacao that is certified as part of peace-building initiatives (like those supported by USAID or the UN), you are literally helping a farmer stay away from the armed groups.
3. Distinguish Between the Cities and the "Deep" Regions
If you visit Cartagena or Bogotá, you'll find modern, vibrant cities. Don't let the history of the Colombia civil war scare you away from visiting—tourism is a huge part of the country’s recovery. However, stay informed via sources like InSight Crime or The Bogotá Post to understand which rural areas are currently seeing spikes in activity.
Colombia is a country trying to heal from a wound that is still being picked at. The 2016 deal was a start, not a finish line. The real work is happening in small mountain villages where people are choosing, every single day, to put down the grudge and pick up a shovel. It's slow. It's painful. But for the first time in generations, there's a roadmap, even if the road is full of potholes.