The year with the highest level of lethal violence against human rights defenders during Gustavo Petro’s administration was 2025. This is evidenced by the 165 murders and 874 attacks verified by the Somos Defensores Program’s Information System during that year. These figures must be assessed, among other things, in light of the regrettable increase in humanitarian impacts that have intensified in Colombia. According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, “more than 1.6 million people were affected by violence and armed conflict in 2025,” a figure that tripled compared to the previous year and which, in some cases such as confinements and displacements, reached the highest levels since 2013, when that multilateral agency began tracking these figures (OCHA, 2026).
When referring to the rise in violence, various sectors have chosen to speak about the “failure of total peace”—a thesis supported by numerous arguments,
which, in any case, goes beyond a mere matter of public policy design. In fact, since the establishment of various regional dialogues began, numerous warnings were issued regarding the actions of illegal armed groups and the Office of the High Commissioner for Peace, yet this agency failed to heed the warnings of civil society representatives. In practice, there was a disregard for the calls made by bodies in which numerous leaders from across the country
participate, such as the National Table of Guarantees and its regional branches. Thus, regrettable practices from previous governments were repeated; those also failed to give these forums the importance they deserve. Genuine recognition pf bodies such as the National Table of Guarantees must go
beyond merely convening, establishing, and funding these spaces.
