Colombia’s Former Rebels Brace for Uncertainty as New Hardline Government Takes Office

In Colombia, a palpable sense of anxiety is spreading among former guerrilla fighters who laid down their arms under the 2016 peace accord. The election of a new, staunchly conservative president has triggered deep concerns that the fragile reconciliation process—once hailed as a global model for ending decades of conflict—could now be unraveling at an alarming pace.

Thousands of ex-combatants, many of whom have traded rifles for farming tools and community leadership roles, now fear that their hard-won reintegration into civilian life is hanging by a thread. They point to the incoming administration’s aggressive rhetoric, which has repeatedly questioned the legitimacy of the peace deal and promised to overhaul its judicial provisions. For these men and women, the shift in tone is not merely political posturing; it represents an existential threat to their livelihoods, safety, and future prospects.

The most immediate worry revolves around security. Despite the original pact, several former fighters have already been killed in rural zones, often by dissident factions that never demobilized. With a government that appears more sympathetic to military-led solutions than to social investment, ex-guerrillas argue that protection mechanisms will weaken, leaving them dangerously exposed to the armed groups that still control vast swaths of the countryside.

Economic reintegration, too, is at risk. Many ex-combatants rely on state-funded cooperative projects and land grants to sustain themselves and their families. Yet, the new president has signaled a desire to cut such spending, redirecting resources toward security forces instead. Without these subsidies, former rebels fear they will be forced back into the shadows of informality or, worse, driven to rejoin illegal economies as a means of survival.

While negotiators warn that reneging on commitments could ignite a new cycle of violence, the ex-guerrillas are already planning for the worst. Some have begun stockpiling documents to prove their innocence, while others are quietly seeking refuge in cities. Their collective plea is simple: that the state remembers its promise to build a lasting peace, before the window for reconciliation slams shut.