Wars, politics & history

Colombian conflict

27 May 1964

The Colombian conflict was a long internal war involving the state, left-wing guerrilla groups, right-wing paramilitary organizations and drug-trafficking networks. Its roots lie in earlier political violence, known as La Violencia, and in deep inequalities over land, and it took shape in the 1960s with the emergence of guerrilla movements such as the FARC and the ELN. Over the decades hundreds of thousands of people were killed, and millions were forced from their homes, making Colombia one of the countries with the largest numbers of displaced people. Civilians suffered most, through massacres, kidnappings and landmines. A peace agreement between the government and the FARC was signed in 2016 and ended the largest guerrilla war, though other armed groups remained active and violence continued in some regions.

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