A delegation of the fifteen member countries of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) visited Colombia this week, meeting with the President and other officials, congressmen and congresswomen, members of the JEP, members of the FARC party, and former combatants to review progress on the implementation of the Peace Accord. The visit included meetings in the Territorial Space for Training and Reincorporation (ETCR) in Caldono, Cauca. Issues such as the reincorporation of former FARC-EP combatants and access to land, security and protection of social leaders and former combatants, and the need to respect the Peace Accord in its entirety were brought before the delegation during the week. Concluding the visit, the Council President Gustavo Meza-Cuadra acknowledged the challenges and highlighted the importance of the peace process as an example for the world.¹  

At a reception with the delegation, President Iván Duque requested the UNSC to extend the mandate of the UN Verification Mission in Colombia for another year. He reiterated his commitment to the reincorporation of former FARC combatants who remain committed to the process,² echoing statements made last week by the High Counsellor for Stabilization, Emilio Archila, in which he reaffirmed the GoC’s continued support for reincorporation for as long as necessary.  The pledges come one month before 15 August, the date when the 24 ETCRs will cease to exist as such, as established in the Peace Accord. Likewise, benefits such as basic monthly income and food assistance will end or be adjusted.³

The Supreme Court of Justice (SCJ) has issued an arrest warrant for Jesús Santrich, whose whereabouts remain unknown since he left the ETCR in Tierra Alta (Cesar) without his escort on 29 June, according to the National Protection Unit.  Santrich did not appear for his scheduled investigative hearing on 9 July, at which he was expected to present his defense in the case of alleged trafficking of cocaine to the US after the signing of the Peace Accord. The arrest warrant comes less than two months after the SCJ ordered his release from prison.⁴

Thirty-two months after the signing of the Peace Accord, the GoC has executed 638 infrastructural projects in compliance with the Development Plans with a Territorial Approach-PDET. Thus far, 226 rural roads, 135 schools, 100 community spaces, 41 parks and 41 sports areas have been improved. Additional projects in energy generation and distribution, sewers and aqueducts, and improvements to health centers have been carried out in the 16 prioritized regions.⁵

Five departments account for 45.5% of the estimated 120,000 persons who disappeared in the context of the armed conflict, according to the Unit for the Search of Disappeared Persons (UBPD) and reports from the National Center for Historical Memory. According to the data, a quarter of the cases of forced disappearance are concentrated in Antioquia, with 20,286 recorded victims.  Meta follows with 5,459; Magdalena, 4,123; Valle del Cauca, 3,983; and Cesar, 3,955. The UBPD began its deployment in 10 regions- Apartadó, Rionegro, Barrancabermeja, Cali, Cúcuta, San José del Guaviare, Puerto Asís, Barranquilla, Sincelejo, and Villavicencio- on 28 May.⁶