Sharing Key Insights Into a Reporting Project

Wednesday, June 17, 2026

Armed groups in Colombia’s Catatumbo region continue to dominate key areas a decade after the 2016 peace agreement, with youth recruitment and control over infrastructure fueling ongoing violence. This persistent insecurity, tied to the cocaine trade, is shaping the upcoming presidential election where candidates debate approaches to restoring order and consolidating peace.

A decade after Colombian leaders signed a landmark peace agreement intended to end decades of internal conflict, armed groups continue to exert significant control in certain regions, undermining hopes for sustained peace. Reporter Luis Ferré-Sadurní and photographer Federico Ríos recently traveled into a guerrilla-dominated area in the northeast department of Catatumbo to document the ongoing violence and instability.

Their reporting revealed a region marked by the near absence of state authority. Police officers operated out of heavily fortified stations, while armed groups controlled key routes and maintained influence over local communities. Many houses stood abandoned or damaged amid the persistent conflict, with residents often displaced by the fighting.

In Catatumbo, guerrilla factions have repurposed critical infrastructure, including a transmission tower, which they use as a fortified base to launch drone attacks. The fighters encountered by Ferré-Sadurní and Ríos were mostly young, many in their late teens or early twenties, underscoring the ongoing recruitment and involvement of youth in armed activity.

Colombia’s ongoing violence is closely tied to its record levels of cocaine production, which continue to fund these armed groups. The drug trade has complicated efforts to consolidate peace and has heightened security challenges throughout the country.

This tension informs a critical political moment in Colombia, as the nation prepares for a presidential runoff election in June. One of the leading candidates on the right advocates for a hardline approach to the armed groups, drawing support from former U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration and promising to intensify military action against guerrilla forces.

Despite the 2016 peace accord, which involved the demobilization of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), violence persists in various territories, with illegal groups vying for control over lucrative drug trafficking routes. This ongoing conflict reflects deep-rooted issues related to governance, narcotics, and social inequality that continue to challenge Colombia’s path toward peace.