Overview: On August 7, Colombian President Petro took office and began implementing a Total Peace strategy, which included a process of initiating talks with armed groups, including designated terrorist groups, across the country. On November 21 the Colombian government began a dialogue with the ELN, a U.S.-designated terrorist group. The first round of negotiations, which took place during November and December in Caracas, Venezuela, were largely considered positive and productive. On December 31 Petro announced a temporary bilateral ceasefire with the ELN and two other U.S.-designated terrorist organizations, FARC-EP and Segunda Marquetalia. But on January 3 the ELN denied having agreed to a bilateral ceasefire and accused the government of risking the future of the peace talks with Petro’s announcement. ELN has now replaced the FARC as the most powerful armed group not only in Colombia but also in Venezuela.

The Petro administration’s Total Peace plan concentrates on accelerating implementation of the 2016 Peace Accord and on negotiating with illegal armed groups to demobilize. The government publicly urged a multilateral ceasefire with several illegal armed groups throughout the country in support of this plan.

2022 Terrorist Incidents: In 2022, U.S.-designated terrorist groups Segunda Marquetalia, FARC-EP, and ELN continued to commit acts of terrorism throughout the country, including bombings, violence against civilian populations, kidnappings, and violent attacks against military and police facilities. The Colombian ministry of defense recordeda 131 percent increase in terrorist acts in 2022, as compared with 2021. The following incidents were especially noteworthy:  

• On January 7 the ELN claimed responsibility for an attack in Cali that resulted in the injury of more than a dozen police officers.  
• On March 5 an IED caused structural damage to a police substation in the Ciudad Bolívar locality (administrative subdivision) of Bogotá. The attack was attributed to FARC-EP.  
• On March 26, FARC-EP detonated an IED outside a police station in the south of Bogotá.  The bombing killed two children and injured 39 other people.   
• On September 2, FARC-EP carried out an ambush against police officers in the south-central department of Huila, killing seven.  
• On November 19, a clash between FARC-EP and Segunda Marquetalia resulted in the deaths of 23 terrorist group members in the town of Puerto Guzmán in Putumayo department, less than 40 miles from the border with Ecuador.

 Legislation, Law Enforcement, and Border Security: On October 25 the Colombian congress approved the first part of Petro’s Total Peace legislation. The legislation expanded the authorities granted in Public Order Law 418 of 1997 to allow the government to negotiate peace with politically motivated terrorist groups, such as the ELN, and created a separate mechanism for the government to facilitate “discussions” with illegal, apolitical narcotrafficking groups. As of the end of 2022, a proposed Submission Law that would facilitate negotiations with illegal, apolitical narcotrafficking groups was still pending the legislature’s review. On December 28, Colombian and Ecuadorian senior military leaders signed a bilateral agreement to contain drug trafficking and organized crime along the border. 

Countering the Financing of Terrorism: Colombia is a member of GAFILAT (the Financial Action Task Force of Latin America), and its FIU, the Financial Information and Analysis Unit, is a member of the Egmont Group. There were no significant changes in 2022.

For further information on money laundering and financial crimes, see the 2022 International Narcotics Control Strategy Report, Volume 2, Money Laundering and Financial Crimes.

Countering Violent Extremism: In 2022, 12,759 FARC ex-combatants and former militia members who demobilized under the 2016 Peace Accord continued to participate in social and economic reintegration activities. Colombia continued to employ a modern, multiagency approach to CVE. The number of members of armed groups — including ELN, Segunda Marquetalia, FARC-EP, Clan del Golfo, Los Pelusos, and Los Caparros — who demobilized individually in 2022 was 115. Of those 115, 21 were women. 

International and Regional Cooperation: Colombia is a GCTF member.