On the situation in Colombia after the wave of recent terrorist attacks

B100368/2025

European Parliament resolution on the situation in Colombia after the wave of recent terrorist attacks

(2025/2855(RSP))

The European Parliament,

–having regard to its previous resolutions on the peace process and the situation in Colombia,

–having regard to the Final Agreement to End the Armed Conflict and Build a Stable and Lasting Peace signed by the Colombian Government and the Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia - Ejército del Pueblo (FARC-EP) on 24 November 2016,

–having regard to the statement of the European External Action Service (EEAS) on 11 August 2025 on the death of Senator Miguel Uribe Turbay,

–having regard to the statement of the United Nations Secretary General on 11 August 2025 on the death of Senator Miguel Uribe Turbay,

–having regard to the statements of the United Nations Secretary General on 14 July, 7 April and 13 January 2025 on the 2016 Peace Agreements,

–having regard to Rule 136(2) of its Rules of Procedure,

A.whereas on 21 August 2025, two attacks took place in Colombia: – a car bomb exploded near a military base in Cali, killing seven civilians and injuring more than 70, and a drone attack shot down a police helicopter in Antioquia, killing 13 police officers; whereas the attacks were attributed to FARC dissidents; whereas Colombian President, Gustavo Petro, condemned the attacks, described the groups responsible as ‘terrorist organisations’ and ordered the army to pursue them;

B.whereas Miguel Uribe Turbay, a senator and presidential pre-candidate for the Centro Democrático party, was attacked on 7 June 2025 and died from his injuries on 11 August; whereas President Petro condemned the attack and called for a prompt investigation; whereas the authorities quickly identified the perpetrator, a 15-year-old minor, and the investigation has progressed with several arrests and continues to pursue the hypothesis of links to FARC dissidents;

C.whereas a peace agreement between the Government of Colombia and the FARC-EP was signed in 2016; whereas this agreement recognises the right of the Colombian people to live in peace and enshrines the duty of the state to promote human rights and ensure economic and social development;

D.whereas the current Colombian government has implemented a policy of ‘total peace’, seeking both to implement the peace agreement signed with the FARC in 2016 and to develop dialogues, negotiations and conversations with armed actors including with FARC dissidents, who are currently besieging Colombia’s civilian population; whereas this commitment contrasts sharply with the previous government’s approach, which obstructed the implementation of the peace agreements;

E.whereas the government attempted to implement a broad programme of reforms to overcome the crises generated by armed violence in rural areas of the country, high levels of exclusion and inequality, and a deterioration in environmental conditions – structural causes that the 2016 peace agreement seeks to correct; whereas the government has encountered strong resistance from economic elites, powerful media interests and the traditional parties that control the majority in Congress;

F.whereas in his various reports, the UN Secretary-General has insisted that the implementation of the 2016 peace agreement is the basis for achieving peace in Colombia and for advancing effective negotiations; whereas the structural difficulties in implementing the peace agreement mainly occurred between 2018 and 2022; whereas as of November 2024, according to the Kroc Institute barometer, 34 % of the measures provided for in the agreement had been fully implemented, 19 % had been partially implemented, 38 % had been minimally implemented, and 9 % had not been implemented at all;

G.whereas despite the government’s efforts and the ‘total peace’ policy, according to the International Committee of the Red Cross’s 2024 report, in Colombia there are still eight armed conflicts ongoing and dozens of armed groups control much of the territory and seek to control illicit economic activities;

H.whereas, at the 68th session of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs in Vienna in March 2025, Colombia led the adoption of a historic resolution establishing, for the first time, an independent panel of experts to review the functioning of the international drug control system, fostering a renewed approach grounded in human rights, public health and sustainable development, including a call to consider the removal of the coca leaf from the list of harmful substances;

I.whereas the armed conflict is having a major impact on the population; whereas armed groups, including guerrillas, dissidents and groups with paramilitary origins, are constantly violating international humanitarian law; whereas in 2025, 52 massacres have been documented, with a total of 172 victims; whereas according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, between January and July 2025 the number of people affected by attacks against the civilian population in Colombia increased by 25 % compared to the same period in the previous year, and there was a 94 % increase in incidents involving explosive devices compared to the same period in 2024;

J.whereas between January and August 2025, 106 human rights defenders and social leaders were murdered; whereas according to Global Witness and Frontline Defenders, Colombia is the world’s most dangerous country for human rights defenders, particularly community leaders, indigenous peoples and those defending land, territorial and environmental rights;

K.whereas the escalation in violence coincides with the pre-election period; whereas Colombia has historically experienced heightened violence during electoral periods; whereas the current wave of violence in Colombia seeks to influence and shape the 2026 elections, putting the country’s peace and democratic stability at risk; whereas armed groups are seeking to influence negotiations, obtain legal benefits and expand their territorial control, using violence to pressure the state at a time of high political sensitivity;

1.Condemns the attacks perpetrated by the dissident guerrilla groups as well as the assassination of Senator Miguel Uribe Turbay; expresses its condolences to the families of the victims and its solidarity with the Colombian people;

2.Condemns the use of violence against civilians by any party to the conflict or by terrorists or other armed groups; strongly defends the right of all Colombians to live in peace, free from violence, discrimination and social exclusion;

3.Condemns the political instrumentalisation for electoral purposes of the violence and terrorist attacks that have occurred in recent months; draws attention to the increase in violence during pre-electoral periods and calls on all actors to respect citizens’ right to freely choose their leaders;

4.Condemns the murders of, and violence against, human rights defenders, trade unionists, environmental activists and social leaders, LGBTIQ+ and women activists, and members of indigenous and afro-descendent communities; recognises the critically important work of civil society organisations in protecting and promoting human rights, democracy and the rule of law and in preventing conflicts worldwide;

5.Urges all parties involved in the conflict to respect international humanitarian law, including refraining from recruiting and using children;

6.Welcomes the Colombian Government’s commitment to building peace and calls on the authorities to continue efforts to find a negotiated solution to the conflict; urges the EU and its Member States to support the current dialogues between the Colombian Government and armed actors, insisting on the need to respect international humanitarian law, as a sign of goodwill;

7.Reiterates its full support for Colombia’s 2016 peace agreement and welcomes the Colombian Government’s willingness to accelerate its implementation; calls for the EU and its Member States to maintain and strengthen their support and funding for the Colombian Government’s policies backing the full implementation of the 2016 peace agreement; also recognises the importance of funding civil society organisations that have been working for decades to build a peaceful country;

8.Highlights the UN Secretary-General’s statement regarding the importance of the implementation of the provisions on security guarantees contained in Colombia’s 2016 peace agreement, as they offer a clear and comprehensive framework for addressing the factors and effects of violence that have particularly affected rural communities, social leaders, ex-combatants, women, children, indigenous peoples and Afro-Colombians;

9.Calls on the Colombian Government to engage in dialogue with civil society organisations and communities to identify policy improvements that can curb this wave of violence and provide security;

10.Welcomes community-led humanitarian dialogue initiatives aimed at securing armed actors’ compliance with international humanitarian law;

11.Stresses that the root causes of the Colombian conflict derive from inequality, and therefore welcomes the government’s efforts to reduce inequality and ensure universal access to public services and social rights; highlights that the peace agreement also encompassed measures aimed at addressing the structural causes of the conflict, therefore, it is essential to underscore once again the importance of its full implementation;

12.Rejects the continuation of violence, with the collusion of the country’s economic elites and foreign multinationals, including some European companies; stresses the need to dismantle paramilitary groups in Colombia as an essential precondition for achieving peace;

13.Urges the Member States to ensure that companies subject to their national legislation respect human rights and social, health and environmental standards when establishing themselves or operating in a third country; calls for sanctions to be imposed on European companies that fail to comply with these standards or that do not adequately compensate victims of human rights violations for which they are directly or indirectly responsible;

14.Calls upon the Member States to support and actively promote the establishment of a new paradigm in the fight against drug trafficking, recognising that punitive approaches have failed to achieve sustainable results and have been associated with widespread human rights violations, and instead prioritise peace, human rights and sustainable livelihoods, so that communities in areas growing coca and other illicit crops can finally live in dignity, security and lasting peace;

15.Considers that building a stable and lasting peace in Colombia – beyond the resolution of the internal armed conflict – should be a top priority for the EU and the international community;

16.Calls on the Commission to remove Colombia from its proposed list of safe countries of origin;

17.Welcomes the Colombian Government’s collaboration with the special mechanisms of the UN Human Rights Council, allowing visits by numerous rapporteurs and working groups of the UN System;

18.Calls for the EU and its Member States to maintain and strengthen their support for the UN agencies present in Colombia, as they are performing an essential task in peacebuilding in the country;

19.Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, and the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, the parliaments and governments of the Member States, the Government of Colombia and the Euro-Latin American Parliamentary Assembly;