Medellín, Colombia – At least 99 forced disappearances linked to Colombia’s armed conflict were documented between January and July this year, according to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).
While the incidents were recorded across 14 departments of the country, 59% of the cases were concentrated in the departments of Cauca, Norte de Santander, and Antioquia, 36 of them involving minors.
The report comes as Colombia’s long-running internal conflict experiences its most violent period in a decade, with new President Abelardo de la Espriella pledging an iron-fisted crackdown against armed groups.
“Disappearance remains one of the most painful humanitarian consequences of armed conflicts,” said Cleber Kemper, Deputy Protection Coordinator at the ICRC’s regional delegation in Bogotá.
“Behind each of these cases is a family that does not know what happened to their loved one. That is why preventing disappearances is just as urgent as advancing efforts to locate those who remain missing and addressing the needs of their families.”
The ICRC press release was issued in observance of the International Day of the Disappeared, commemorated every August 30, expressing solidarity with the families of missing persons.
Data from a project led by Colombia’s Special Jurisdiction for Peace (JEP) indicates that approximately 121,768 people were forcibly disappeared in Colombia between 1985 and 2016. The figures could be even higher, with estimates suggesting that the number of victims may be as great as 210,000.
Some 2,659 of those cases were recorded after the state and the now-defunct FARC rebel group signed a historic peace accord in 2016. The real number could be much higher, with the ICRC cautioning that these figures reflect only the cases known to the organization, noting a context of underreporting.
International Humanitarian Law establishes an obligation to prevent such disappearances. “They must undertake the necessary efforts to clarify the fate and whereabouts of missing persons,” wrote the ICRC in its press release.
The NGO recognized the efforts of Colombian institutions, which have made progress toward a more coordinated and integrated response among the competent authorities, adopting the Comprehensive Public Policy for the Assistance, Prevention, Search, and Identification of Missing Persons through Decree 1029 of 2026.
However, challenges remain in terms of coordination and restrictions on access to information needed to determine what happened.
“Regardless of the circumstances surrounding a disappearance, every missing person must be searched for, and every family deserves answers,” the ICRC concluded in the press release.
In recent years, conflict both between warring criminal groups and between the state and insurgent forces has been on the rise.
Between January and February 2026, approximately 101,200 people were affected by the activities of armed groups, according to a report by the United Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
De la Espriella came to power pledging to end his predecessor’s attempt at negotiating with armed groups, a policy known as “Total Peace”, instead opting to use military force to tackle criminality.
While many Colombians back the president’s approach, which edged him to victory in a tight race, the country is divided over the best approach to the ongoing conflict. Some fear further militarization will only increase bloodshed and drive up figures like forced disappearances.
This article originally appeared in The Bogotá Post and was re-published with permission.
Featured image description: Families of forcibly disappeared appear at a hearing in Washington DC.
Featured image credit: Oliver Contreras/Eddie Arrossi via Flickr
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