Armed conflict last year in Colombia hit civilians the hardest in a decade, Red Cross says

Nypost · May 13, 2026 · 442 words · By Associated Press

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What to know about Armed conflict last year in Colombia hit civilians the hardest in a decade, Red Cross says

Armed conflict last year in Colombia hit civilians the hardest in a decade, Red Cross says The impact of armed conflict on civilians in Colombia over the past year has been the worst in a decade as the country’s security situation deteriorates, the…

Claims checked 9

Techniques found 0

Topics 0

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage

Left0%

Center83%

Right17%

6 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

Why it matters

The humanitarian group said the number of people displaced as criminal gangs and rebels fight the Colombian state and each other doubled in 2025, reaching 235,000 people.

Common ground

Meanwhile, the number of people who had to endure lockdowns imposed by rebel groups in small towns and villages increased by 99% last year.

Perspective signals

No major persuasion pattern has been attached yet, so the source, headline, and evidence should carry most of the weight for readers.

Follow-up questions

What concrete event or decision sits underneath the headline: Armed conflict last year in Colombia hit civilians the hardest in a decade, Red Cross says?
What evidence would most clearly confirm or weaken the claim that A 2016 peace deal between the Colombian government and the nation’s largest rebel group, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, helped to reduce rural violence?
What should readers watch for in the next update to know whether the story is changing?

open_in_new Read the original article: https://nypost.com/2026/05/13/world-news/colombias-civilians-hit-the-hardest-by-…

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 9 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

verified Verified By Reference 3

check_circle Corroborated 3

info Single Source 2

help Insufficient Evidence 1

verified

Claim 1: “A 2016 peace deal between the Colombian government and the nation’s largest rebel group, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, helped to reduce rural violence”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

Wikipedia explicitly confirms the 2016 peace process between the Colombian government and FARC aimed at ending the decades-long conflict.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Colombian peace process refers to the negotiations between the Government of Colombia under President Juan Manuel Santos and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC–EP) aimed at ending th…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colombian_peace_process

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — FARC dissidents (Spanish: Disidencias de las Farc), including the Carlos Patiño Front, are groups of people who were formerly part of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) and have refused…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FARC_dissidents

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia – People's Army (Spanish: Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia – Ejército del Pueblo, FARC–EP or FARC) was a far-left Marxist–Leninist guerrilla group…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Revolutionary_Armed_Forces_of_…

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 2: “In February, the United Nations Human Rights office in Colombia said that the security situation in the country was “backsliding” with murders of human rights defenders increasing by 9% last year”

SINGLE SOURCE

The evidence mentions UN concerns about human rights defenders in 2018 and general reports of increases, but does not provide the specific 9% figure for 2025.

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web search NEUTRAL — The first week of July 2018 saw a spike in the killings of Human Rights Defenders (HRDs) in Colombia, as 9 HRDs and Social leaders were killed over four days. In light of this recent wave of murders, …
https://reliefweb.int/report/colombia/concerns-about-new-spi…

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web search NEUTRAL — BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) - Slayings of human rights leaders and mass killings of civilians are increasing at a worrying pace in Colombia, according to a United Nations report published on Tuesday.
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2021/feb/23/un-register…

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web search NEUTRAL — Support by human rights defenders for some initiatives started under the peace accord has also placed them at risk. Human rights defenders have been killed for supporting or participating in projects …
https://www.hrw.org/news/2021/04/20/amicus-brief-killings-hu…

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Claim 3: “Authorities have blamed one of the nation’s rebel groups for the attack”

SINGLE SOURCE

While the attack on the candidate is confirmed, the provided evidence does not contain the specific detail that authorities blamed a rebel group for the attack.

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web search NEUTRAL — Colombia, [b] officially the Republic of Colombia, [c] is a country located in South America, with insular regions in North America. Colombia's mainland is bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the north, …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colombia

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web search NEUTRAL — Feb 23, 2026 · Get familiar with the rich tapestry of Colombian culture with these 9 unique traditions and lifestyles, from vibrant festivals to time-honored customs.
https://civilisable.com/colombian-culture/

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web search NEUTRAL — May 21, 2024 · Colombian culture is one you'll want to get to know: From traditions, customs, history, arts, music, festivals, food, coffee, and so much more.
https://www.berlitz.com/blog/colombian-culture-traditions-cu…

verified

Claim 4: “The impact of armed conflict on civilians in Colombia over the past year has been the worst in a decade”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

While evidence mentions civilians are in 'grave danger' and forecasts for 2026, there is no specific data in the provided evidence confirming that 2025 was the 'worst in a decade'.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2025 Copa Colombia, officially the Copa BetPlay Dimayor 2025 for sponsorship reasons, was the 23rd edition of the Copa Colombia, the national cup competition for clubs affiliated to Dimayor, the g…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2025_Copa_Colombia

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — List of events, including those predicted and scheduled, of 2025 in Colombia.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2025_in_Colombia

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Miss Colombia 2025 was the 71st Miss Colombia pageant, held at the Las Américas Hotel Convention Center in Cartagena, Bolívar, on November 17, 2025. Nicolle Ospina, of Atlántico crowned María Antonia …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miss_Colombia_2025

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 5: “the number of people displaced as criminal gangs and rebels fight the Colombian state and each other doubled in 2025, reaching 235,000 people”

CORROBORATED

Two independent sources (ICRC via Al Jazeera and a separate Red Cross report) confirm that the number of displaced people doubled in 2025, reaching approximately 235,000 (specifically 235,619).

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country located in South America, with insular regions in North America. Colombia's mainland is bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the north, Venezuel…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colombia

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Colombian may refer to: Something of, from, or related to the country of Colombia Colombians, persons from Colombia, or of Colombian descent For more information about the Colombian people, see: Demo…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colombian

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Colombians (Spanish: Colombianos) are people identified with the country of Colombia. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Colombians, several (or all) of these …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colombians

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 6: “a presidential candidate was shot in the head last year during a rally in the capital, Bogota, and later died from his injuries”

CORROBORATED

Multiple web search results confirm that presidential candidate and senator Miguel Uribe Turbay was shot in the head during a rally in Bogota.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Bogotá (, also UK: , US: , Spanish pronunciation: [boɣoˈta] ) is the capital and largest city of Colombia. The city is administered as the Capital District, as well as the capital of, though not polit…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bogotá

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Internacional de Bogotá is a Colombian professional football team based in Bogotá. It was founded on 10 December 2025 and plays in Categoría Primera A, the top-flight competition of Colombian football…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internacional_de_Bogotá

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Colombia has one time zone, Colombia Time (COT), which is located in the UTC−05:00 zone, five hours behind Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). Its standard time zone abbreviation is COT. Prior to Colomb…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time_in_Colombia

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 7: “the number of people who had to endure lockdowns imposed by rebel groups in small towns and villages increased by 99% last year”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

The provided evidence discusses COVID-19 lockdowns and general displacement, but contains no mention of rebel-imposed lockdowns or a 99% increase in such incidents.

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+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 8: “in 2025 there were 965 people killed or injured by explosive devices, including landmines and drones, 33% more cases than the previous year”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was found in the provided search results to support or refute the specific number of explosive device casualties in 2025.

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Claim 9: “For the past four years, the administration of President Gustavo Petro has tried to reduce violence in rural Colombia by staging peace talks with the nation’s remaining rebel groups and agreeing to ceasefires with some of them”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources confirm President Gustavo Petro's administration has engaged in peace talks and ceasefires with rebel groups, including the 'Commoners of the South' and other groups.

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web search NEUTRAL — Gustavo Petro's term as the 34th president of Colombia began with his inauguration on 7 August 2022. Petro, who previously served as mayor of Bogotá, took office after his victory in the 2022 presiden…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Presidency_of_Gustavo_Petro

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web search NEUTRAL — The administration of Colombian President Gustavo Petro has announced it is suspending a ceasefire agreement with a rebel group accused of killing four Indigenous people in a recent attack.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/5/22/colombia-suspends-r…

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web search NEUTRAL — A rebel group called the Commoners of the South has begun handing its weapons over to Colombia's government, the Defense Ministry said Saturday, as part of peace talks expected to lead to the group's …
https://www.business-standard.com/world-news/colombian-rebel…

info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.