Former FARC guerrillas in the peace process have faced intensifying violence since President Abelardo de la Espriella took office on 7 August. The murder of Jhon Ever Collazos Acosta on 22 September was the sixth such case since then, as many as in the whole year until then.
Jhon Ever was attacked close to the city of Cúcuta on border with Venezuela. On 2 September, Andres Mauricio Solarte was killed in Samaniego, Nariño. Their deaths follow five cases in August, including the double murder of José Deifer Giraldo and his son Yerlin, both of whom formerly in the FARC, in Cauca on 28 August.
With the government cutting funding to the peace process and security bodies such as the National Protection Unit (UNP), which provides bodyguards to at-risk individuals, the situation could deteriorate further unless action is taken to implement protective measures.
The Comunes political party, formed by the FARC under the terms of the 2016 peace agreement, has registered over 520 former guerrillas, sometimes referred to as peace signatories, murdered since entering the peace process. United Nations figures in June this year confirmed 493 killings, along with dozens of disappeared. This means that, of the 13,500 accredited FARC members in the peace process, over four per cent may have died violently despite having disarmed and begun reintegrating to civilian life. Recently, however, there had been a notable drop under Petro, as evidenced in the relatively low five cases recorded during January-July this year.
President De la Espriella has been highly critical of the 2016 peace agreement, which brought an end to over half a century of conflict between the FARC and the Colombian state. His government plans to weaken the authority of the JEP transitional justice court, while it has ended peace talks with armed groups that were taking place under the Petro administration.
During election campaigning, De la Espriella criticised former FARC leaders, several of whom are now Comunes politicians, sparking concerns his government may target them judicially even though they are participating fully in the peace process. Currently, members of the former FARC secretariat are joining searches for victims of forced disappearance as part of their JEP sentences.
Research has found that insecurity in the peace process has been a lead factor in a minority of former guerrillas rejoining armed groups. However, despite the challenges of ongoing violence and restricted access to services and resources, most remain committed to the mammoth task of consolidating peace in Colombia.