Across Colombia, decades of war between leftist guerrillas, rightwing paramilitaries, trafficking groups and the government have left more than 9.5 million people as victims of forced displacement, homicide, sexual violence and more.
He’s also negotiating with the most powerful of Colombia’s armed groups – from leftist guerrillas to smaller trafficking mafias – in an effort to get them to demobilize simultaneously. More than 31,000 armed fighters make up the militias that are in some stage of negotiations or say they want to negotiate peace, according to government estimates.
“The idea behind ‘total peace’ is right on the money. You know, let’s look at the social issues behind these conflicts,” said Jeremy McDermott, co-founder of InSight Crime, a Colombia-based think tank.
In Buenaventura, turf wars have bred a particularly brutal conflict, making the city one of the world’s most violent. Homicide, kidnapping, torture and sexual abuse are commonplace. So are mass graves and “chop houses,” where gangs dismember enemies, letting their screams echo through neighborhoods. The young people who lack opportunities and are forcibly recruited into gangs are equal parts victims and victimizers, many here say.
On Buenaventura’s jungled fringes, rival groups wait to seize their part of the city - police say there’s so many, they’ve lost count.
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