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 International Committee of the Red Cross said Tuesday in an annual report.

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.

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

For decades rebel groups and drug traffickers have been fighting the Colombian government for control of rural areas,