Colombias Armed Groups: Growth and Territorial Control Examined
“Colombia does not control significant parts of its own territory, as armed groups currently act as the real authority in several departments. According to InSight Crime and the International Crisis Group, the number of armed group members in Colombia grew from approximately 15,000 in 2022 to approximately 22,000 in 2025, with the ELN (~6,000 members), FARC dissidents (~5,000), and the Clan del Golfo (~7,500) all expanding their territorial footprint.[1] CrisisWatch reporting from 2025 also shows FARC-EMC splinter groups escalating attacks along the Pacific Coast, using car bombs and armed drones against police stations, while the ELN fought rival factions over gold-mining areas in southern Bolívar at the same time.[2] Displacement adds to this picture, as clashes between FARC-EMC and the rival Segunda Marquetalia faction displaced almost 500 people in the Telembí triangle, while other confrontations confined entire families for weeks.[3] The causal pathway behind this problem starts with the incomplete implementation of the 2016 peace accord, which left a governance vacuum in former FARC territories. Instead of being filled by the state, this vacuum was taken over by FARC dissidents, the ELN, and the Clan del Golfo, who now compete over the same trafficking corridors and coca-growing regions. Since the state does not have the capacity to occupy all these areas at once, armed groups end up acting as a parallel government, taxing and policing the population themselves. This directly affects state capacity, as the government cannot enforce its laws across its own territory, and it also creates a constant coercion risk for civilians, who face violence no matter which armed group is dominant at a given time. This problem is rated High priority, as it is the root cause behind most other problems in this diagnosis, including the economic and institutional ones discussed below. [1] International Crisis Group, CrisisWatch Database: Colombia, available at: https://www.crisisgroup.org/crisiswatch/database?location[]=76, accessed on 26 June 2026. [2] Ibidem. [3] Ibidem.”
Summary
The Colombian state maintains effective control over the majority of its territory, though illegal armed groups exert influence in roughly 16 % of municipalities and the ELN in about 6 %. While armed groups have expanded and cause displacement, the claim that Colombia lacks significant state control and the specific membership figures cited are not substantiated by current reports.
Sources 60 searched
- Country policy and information note: actors of protection, Colombia, March 2026 (accessible) - GOV.UK
Colombia allocates 2.9% of its GDP to military spending, with significant support from international suppliers like the U.S. As a global partner of NATO, Colombia has also participated in NATO courses to improve the professionalism of Colombian military education (see Colombian Military). 2.1.7 In most areas of Colombia, the state has effective control...
- Country policy and information note: armed groups and criminal gangs, Colombia, March 2026 (accessible) - GOV.UK
Estimates indicate that during the armed strikes in March and May 2022, when groups temporarily exerted greater influence and control (than normal), the AGC controlled nearly 16% of Colombia’s municipalities, while the ELN controlled almost 6%. In comparison in El Salvador sources described gangs consistently wielding control or exerting influence in over 94% of the country (see EMAP, Risk, Internal relocation, Size of groups, Territorial control and capability, ELN and Population of Colombia).
- Colombia presidential vote centers on security, after armed groups expand | Reuters
Colombia's next president must regain territorial control from illegal armed groups who gained ground under the current government, while also working to reduce violence and meet other security challenges, former officials and analysts say.
- Basic Legal Structure - Colombian Legal Research - Research Guides at Harvard Library
The authorities of indigenous peoples may also exercise their jurisdictional functions within their territory following their laws as long as they are not contrary to the Constitution and other existing laws. The National Electoral Council also has special jurisdiction (to make a final decision) concerning matters related to electoral issues. Special Jurisdiction for Peace (Jurisdicción Especial para la Paz) are special tribunals created by an agreement between the national government and FARC (Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia).
- Colombia at a Stabilization Crossroads | CSIS
Some stakeholders interviewed argued that the central government did not take control of these areas because it was not fully committed to the peace agreement and because government officials were benefiting from the illicit economies.
- The Unfulfilled Promises of Colombia’s Peace Process
State institutions failed to take control of their former territories, creating opportunities for armed groups to expand their areas of influence and gain control over criminal economies, particularly narcotrafficking, illegal gold mining, ...
- Truth and reconciliation in Colombia - Wikipedia
Colombia has been in the throes of civil unrest for over half a century. Since 1964, at least 3 million people have been displaced and about 450,000 have died. Four out of five fatalities were non-combatant civilians. Between left- and right-wing armed forces, paramilitary and/or guerrilla ...
- Colombia’s ELN rebels face US drug threats amid push for peace talks | Armed Groups News | Al Jazeera
In January, thousands of people were displaced because of the fighting between the ELN and a dissident faction from the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) that continues to operate in some parts of the country in spite of peace agreements brokered in 2016. The fight is over control of the territory and access to the border with Venezuela, which is a crucial way to move drugs out of the country. Entering the area, it’s immediately apparent that the ELN is in total control here. There is no evidence of the country’s military.
- World Report 2026: Colombia | Human Rights Watch
In November, Caracol, a media outlet, revealed evidence that some intelligence officials and members of the security forces colluded with FARC dissident groups, including by providing them intelligence information and securing permits for weapons ...
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