Colombia’s insecurity crisis saw several killings of trade unionists, community activists and former FARC members in the peace process throughout the month of April. The high violence demonstrates the urgent need to continue the pursuit of peace talks with active armed groups and improve security in unstable regions. Violence against former FARC members has escalated alarmingly, with 2025 already seeing more than half the total number of such killings as the whole of 2024.
Another victim was trade unionist Walberto Quintero Medina of the SINALTRAINAL food workers union. JFC spoke at the union’s national assembly, where Walberto was among the delegates, just a few days before his killing. Two other trade unionists, teacher Richardini Ochoa Linares and security worker Glover Arley Hernández Benavides, were among those killed.
Here is JFC’s monthly update for April 2025 on the human rights situation in Colombia.
N.B. This article does not provide a definitive list of all human rights violations committed in Colombia. Various others are likely to have been committed during the period.
3 April – Community leader Hemerson Reinel Pérez was murdered in Puerto Wilches, department of Santander, where he served as a town councillor during the 2020-23 period. He had received multiple paramilitary threats, including from groups proclaiming to be the Black Eagles in 2020 and the AGC in 2021. Just last month, he received another threat. He was attacked outside his home.
4 April – Rural activist Gumer Vargas was killed and his brother reported missing in Tibú, Norte de Santander. Gumer organised peasant communities over their land and social rights, for which he had previously received threats. The two men were taken from their home by armed assailants who shortly afterwards killed Gumer, with his brother’s whereabouts unknown.
6 April – In Tame, department of Arauca, armed assailants killed Jaime Enrique Benitez, who belonged to the town’s Municipal Peace Council, an official body that promotes peace in conflict-affected zones. He was attacked as he left a public event at around 10.30pm.
9 April – Trade unionist Glover Arley Hernández Benavides was murdered in Santander de Quilichao, department of Cauca. He belonged to the executive of the National Association of Security Workers (ANALTRASEG) and worked as a bodyguard for the National Protection Unit, the state body which assigns security to threatened individuals and organisations. Armed assailants attacked him inside his home.
11 April – Teacher trade unionist Richardini Ochoa Linares was killed in Villavicencio, department of Meta. He belonged to the Meta Association of Educators (ADEM), a regional trade union affiliated to the FECODE teachers federation. Already in 2025, five FECODE-afffiliated teachers have been murdered. A FECODE statement said that Richardini’s brother had discovered the assailant attempting to cover up the crime and that this person was subsequently detained by authorities. FECODE called on authorities to carry out a full investigation and to provide psychological support for Richardini’s family.
12 April – Former FARC guerrilla Robinson Gómez Vélez was murdered in Valdivia, Antioquia. He is the 15th former guerrilla in the peace process murdered in 2025.
12 April – The day’s second killing of a former FARC member in the peace process, and the 16th case of 2025, was carried out in Chigorodó, Antioquia, when armed assailants attacked William Antonio Viloria Hernández, who was 44 years old. He was based at the former ETCR transitional zone Caracolí Brisas in the neighbouring Chocó department.
12 April – Indigenous activist Erik Anderson Menza Pavi was killed in Toribío, Cauca. The 32-year-old was a traditional authority and well-known for his community and care work. He also promoted local ecotourism initiatives.
13 April – An indigenous teenager, Keneht Yadiel Vargas Pilcue, was reported missing in Caldono, Cauca, where armed groups have established territorial control and attacks on indigenous communities occur frequently. Keneht was last seen in the Kwet Kina reservation.
17 April – Attacks on north Cauca’s indigenous population continued with the killing of Ester Julia Camayo in Santander de Quilichao. She was a community organiser in the Concepción reservation and a member of the ANUC peasant farmers’ organisation.
17 April – Armed assailants murdered former FARC guerrilla Carlos Angel Arango Arciniegas in Algeciras, Huila, the third such killing in six days. It took the number of murdered former guerrillas in the peace process to 17 in 2025, more than half the total for the whole of 2024. Carlos had previously been displaced from the Miravalle transitional zone in Doncello, department of Caquetá, in 2022 due to threats from armed groups. He had moved to Algeciras and was working in food distribution.
19 April – Three people were killed inside a home in the Portales del Río neighbourhood of Tuluá, Valle del Cauca. They were named as Jhon Jairo Córdoba, Juan Camilo Jaramillo and Robinson Carvajal.
19 April – Former FARC guerrilla and community leader José Francisco Romero Zamudio was murdered in Yondó, Antioquia. Also known as ‘Yorkí Ortíz’, he was involved in the reincorporation process at the ETCR transitional zone Juan Carlos Castañeda. José Francisco belonged to the JAC community council for the Dos Quebradas district and worked in cattle-rearing. His death was the fourth of a former guerrilla since 12 April.
20 April – The alarming violence in Antioquia continued with the killings of three people in the municipality of Anorí. The first body, identified as 22-year-old Andrés Noreña Restrepo, was found in the Santa Gertrudis district, while two others were found soon afterwards in nearby Puente Builes.
22 April – Rural activist and organiser Ernesto Roa survived an attack in Saravena, department of Arauca, where violence has significantly escalated in the past two years due to the presence of armed groups competing to control territory and economic activity, including illicit smuggling and coca production. Ernesto belongs to several social organisations, including the National Peasant Association José Antonio Galán Zorro, Social Popular Group of Central Oriente Colombia, the Joel Sierra Human Rights Foundation and the ECAAAS labour rights group.
22 April – Colombia’s largest trade union federation, the CUT, denounced smears and threats made on social media against a number of CUT executive committee members, as well as those of the FECODE teachers federation. According to the CUT, aggressive posts on X had threatened committee members Carlos Enrique Rivas, María Eugenia Londoño and Miguel Ángel Pardo. It also said that Lina Montilla Díaz and Nelson Alarcón had been similarly targeted, along with FECODE international secretary Martha Alfonso. JFC has worked with several of the trade unionists targeted, particularly María Eugenia, Lina and Martha, who have all visited Britain since April 2024 to develop relations with trade unions.
23 April – Social leader Arbey Morales Hernández was killed in Cantagallo, Bolívar, where he was a member of the JAC community council for the district of La Poza.
26 April – In Tibú, Norte de Santander, armed assailants intercepted a bus and forced two young women and a young man to disembark, before taking them away and killing them shortly afterwards. The two women were identified as cousins Tatiana Guillen, 20 years old, and Karen Guillen, 18. Report said the male victim was the boyfriend of one of them.
27 April – Another massacre claimed four lives in Puerto Gaitán, department of Meta. The attack was carried out inside a home at around 11pm, with a woman named Isaura Rodríguez among the victims. It is the 20th attack in which at least three people have been killed since the start of 2025.
26 April – Environmental defender Guillermo Arturo Galvis Plazas was killed in the city of Cartagena, department of Bolívar. He monitored wild animals in native habitats for the state-affiliated body EPA Cartagena and developed projects to provide treatment and protection for them. The 38-year-old was attacked while driving through the city.
27 April – Political activist Wilmer Yair López Santander was killed in Orito, Putumayo, where he had been a councillor during the 2016-19 period. He also worked for the municipal authorities. Four armed assailants attacked people gathered inside a public establishment, killing Wilmer and leaving six others injured, including two of the alleged attackers.
28 April – Trade unionist Walberto Quintero Medina was murdered in the city of Valledupar, department of Cesar, with the attack drawing widespread condemnation from across the trade union movement and progressive political parties. 40-year-old Walberto was vice-president of the CUT federation’s regional committee and an executive committee member of the SINALTRAINAL union for food industry workers. Armed assailants shot him inside a public establishment. SINALTRAINAL has recently received support from trade unions Unite and the GMB in its campaign for improved conditions at Nestlé’s plants in Colombia. Just four days before Walberto’s murder, JFC was invited to speak virtually at SINALTRAINAL’s conference in Valledupar and provide an update on the campaign support. Walberto was among the delegates in attendance. The attack was carried out four days after SINALTRAINAL reported threats against its members in Bugalagrande, Valle del Cauca, the main focal point of the Nestlé campaign.