How Colombia's Growing and Brutal Internal Conflict Defines Its Presidential Elections

Colombia is heading to the polls for its presidential election, with the nation's escalating internal conflict and violence taking center stage in the campaign.

The surge in violence has become a primary concern for voters. Many, like Edilma Martínez Flores, have been forced to flee their homes due to threats and violence from armed groups. Flores recounted her brother's murder for failing to pay extortion money and her own displacement from the outskirts of Cali after armed groups ordered residents to leave or face violence. Such experiences explain why insecurity is a dominant issue for many citizens.

“

My brother was murdered in front of his children for not paying an extortion fee.

Colombia's six-decade conflict has resulted in hundreds of thousands of deaths. However, armed groups have significantly expanded their membership in the past five years, a trend that began during the conservative Iván Duque administration and continued after the peace agreement with the FARC. Dissident factions of the FARC, the National Liberation Army (ELN), and the Clan del Golfo have increased their control over rural areas vital for drug trafficking and illegal mining.

The two leading presidential candidates, conservative Abelardo de la Espriella and leftist senator Iván Cepeda, present starkly different strategies to combat this violence. De la Espriella proposes building "mega-prisons" for gang members and has garnered support from Donald Trump. In contrast, Cepeda, a proponent of current President Gustavo Petro's "total peace" strategy, prioritizes negotiation with armed groups. While some analysts believe Petro's strategy has failed, they do not attribute all recent security deteriorations solely to it. This negotiation approach is criticized by voters who favor a firm hand but defended by those who believe it saves more lives.

“

We had no choice but to leave our things. They started placing bombs along the routes people take.