Colombia’s presidential fight over a surge of violence

Mon Jun 22 2026 11:13:57 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)

Colombia’s presidential race divides voters as armed groups surge, leaving candidates to clash over security plans.

Decades of deadly conflict with armed groups, cartels and the state have left hundreds of thousands dead. Now, as violence fuels a wave of displacement, the presidential election focuses on how to tackle insecurity. Left‑wing Senator Iván Cepeda cuts his rhetoric on negotiated peace and social reform, while outsider Abelardo de la Espriella, backed by Donald Trump, promises hard‑line crackdowns and mega‑prisons. The country’s future hinges on the chosen strategy that could either ease the crisis or deepen division.

Colombia’s presidential fight over a surge of violence

Colombian presidential candidate Abelardo de la Espriella and Senator Iván Cepeda

“My brother was murdered for not paying an extortion payment…in front of his children,” said Edilma Martinez Flores, a resident of Bogotá who fled her home after armed groups issued leaflets demanding residents leave or face violence. Her story is one of many that underscore how insecurity has become central to 2026’s presidential race.

Colombia’s history of armed conflict—spanning six decades—has killed hundreds of thousands. Illegal armed groups, from FARC dissidents to the ELN and the Clan del Golfo, have doubled their membership in the last five years, expanding into rural mafias that control drug routes and illegal mining.

Candidates offer sharply divergent solutions. Left‑wing Senator Iván Cepeda, a key architect of President Gustavo Petro’s “total peace” strategy, champions continued negotiation with armed groups but pledges social transformation and a review of the peace plan. He warns that a hard‑line approach could allow criminal groups to exploit ceasefires and strengthen their territorial hold.

Outsider Abelardo de la Espriella, a business lawyer from the Caribbean coast, has been endorsed by Donald Trump. He vows 10 mega‑prisons, a military crackdown, and an end to negotiations with armed groups, claiming “any criminal who does not surrender will be taken down.” De la Espriella’s campaign relies on a “tough on crime” promise that resonates with voters tired of extortion and violence.

Voters’ livelihoods are at stake. Isabelita Mercado Pineda, a government peace adviser, cited a 300 % rise in displacement between 2024 and 2025, driven by rising cocaine production and a flood of armoured groups filling voids left by the demobilised FARC. The debate over either negotiation or hard‑line tactics will shape the nation’s security, economy, and future governance.

With the next round looming, the electorate faces a stark choice: continue negotiating a fragile peace or accept a new regime that promises stern, immediate action against armed gangsters. The results will irrevocably alter Colombia’s trajectory amid a tense, volatile conflict.