2025 was a year in which Colombia looked back on its history, wondering if it was repeating it. The country closes with a discouraging balance that leaves more than 1,273 terrorist attacks and 559 kidnappings, crimes that returned with force in the midst of the ‘Total Peace’ policy of the National Government.

The country was covered in coca bush, so much so that the United States decertified Colombia in terms of the fight against drugs, something that had not happened since the Government of Ernesto Samper.

Statistics and testimonies call into question the promise that Petro made when he came to power in 2022: to deactivate the war. The way to do this, he assured, would be by implementing his ‘Total Peace’ policy, an ecosystem of negotiation tables that sought to demobilize all illegal armed groups in Colombia.

By 2025, neither the ELN nor the dissidents of the Central General Staff, led by alias Iván Mordisco, are part of the conversations.

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The scandal of the ‘Calarcá Files’

Meanwhile, despite the questions, the dissidents of alias Calarcá occupy a place in the ‘Total Peace’. Their presence grants them benefits such as a ceasefire by the Military Forces, as well as a halt in the extradition and capture processes. The subversives took advantage of state inaction to strengthen themselves.

On the table of the Attorney General, Luz Adriana Camargo, lies a thick file called “Archivos de Calarcá”, with chats, audios and material that would point to alleged links between State officials and criminals.

According to the complaints, public resources were even used to transport the criminals, their illegal weapons and the minors they recruited.

The outrage came from several fronts. Not only were the alarms set off by possible intelligence leaks, but the dissidents of Calarcá continue to be considered possible responsible for the assassination of Miguel Uribe Turbay in June 2025, along with the Second Marquetalia.

Public order: kidnappings increase 80%

According to figures from the Ministry of Defense, 2025 closes with a considerable increase in the crime of kidnapping, going from 313 cases in 2024 to 559 in 2025, an increase close to 80%. In parallel, terrorist actions went from 1,126 to 1,273, a growth that responds to a strategy of symbolic visibility, particularly in the southwest of the country, in settings such as Cali and Jamundí.

As of November, homicides went from 12,252 in 2024 to 12,484 in 2025, which is equivalent to three homicides every two hours, while murders of social leaders increased from 173 to 181.

The massacres remained static, with 76 events reported in both years, which shows that the dynamics of territorial control have not given way despite the ceasefires or ongoing rapprochements.

Decertification and reactivation of glyphosate

In the fight against drugs, the data shows a change in strategy. Coca leaf eradication fell from 9,402 to 7,495 hectares, while cocaine seizures increased from 889,201 to 920,848 kilograms. This contrast suggests a State more concentrated in the final link of the chain, but that leaves margins of territorial control in the productive base.

In the midst of that panorama, the specter of decertification continues to pressure the Government. Colombia has less than a year left to reverse the United States decision and show that state actions against drug trafficking are forceful. If this is not achieved, the consequences would be enormous: from the blockage of credits with multilateral banks to tariff sanctions and reduction of monetary aid.

On December 22, the Ministry of Justice announced that glyphosate fumigations will be reactivated in Colombia. Drones will be used that will fly 1.5 meters above the ground and each one will be able to cover one hectare of coca in approximately 30 minutes. Thus, the National Government closes the year 2025 with several problems to solve and national security on a tightrope.

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