Protesters Disappear Amid Colombia Unrest

Authored by Jessica Chadwick Cordero, Intelligence Analyst

Ongoing nationwide strikes and protests are likely to continue in the near-term due to general dissatisfaction with the government’s effort to resolve the causes of the demonstrations and failed negotiations. On June 21, the National Strike Committee (Comite Nacional del Paro, CNP), an umbrella organization that has led the initial demonstrations, denounced the Colombian government’s amendment of legislation to outlaw blockades as a form of peaceful protest, which sparked immediate increased demonstrations overnight. It is likely that unresolved issues and the increase of missing persons in Colombia will spark increased protests on July 20, marking the beginning of a new legislative period in the country.

Disappearance tactics used during early Colombian Civil Conflict Re-surface

In addition to the protesters’ initial grievances, which include alleged government corruption, the killing of human rights activists, and violence against civilians, activists began to raise concerns over a new issue in mid-June; the disappearance of protesters. Demonstrators and human rights activists claim that the tactic of making people disappear, which was used during the early stages of the Colombian civil conflict, has come back after hundreds of protesters have reportedly gone missing. According to the Colombian attorney general, 572 reports of missing people were filed from April 28 to June 15, and only 335 have been found. Human rights organizations, however, have recorded 700 cases of missing people through open-source research and claim that some families are too afraid to seek help from government authorities for their missing family members due to distrust of the government.

Failed government response leaves demonstrators distrustful and dissatisfied

Although President Ivan Duque and Colombian authorities claim that they are aware of the issue and are conducting investigations to track down the missing people, demonstrators remain dissatisfied and have lost trust in the government after a series of failed dialogue attempts and continued alleged violence against protesters. In addition to the missing people, at least 48 protesters have reportedly been killed in violent clashes with the police since the protests began.

Nationwide protests to oppose a tax reform bill proposed by President Ivan Duque began on April 28. After two weeks of consecutive protests, the initial civil unrest turned into mass demonstrations to address various grievances with the government despite Duque’s decision to drop the tax bill just days after the civil unrest began.

In early June, members of the CNP called for a temporary suspension of protests to try to open dialogue with the Colombian government. Thousands of protesters, however, continue to demonstrate in major cities nationwide to denounce the government’s alleged refusal to cooperate with the CNP’s demands and to stop alleged violence against civilians.