Colombian President Asserts Contract Killing as Leading Cause of Deaths

Colombian President Gustavo Petro is unstoppable. On Monday, he convened his ministers at the Casa de Nariño to publicly discuss measures against the wave of violence plaguing the country and to defend his peace policy. Petro presented an overview of his country's societal state in his attempt to eradicate violence over the past 30 years. He acknowledged that while he has managed to reduce the homicide rates from Iván Duque's government, they have not increased under his administration. He expressed optimism that 2025 will see the lowest homicide rate in decades.

Petro pointed out that violence had resurged due to the breach of the peace agreement signed between the FARC and Juan Manuel Santos' government: "We have not increased the homicide rate from that level; I don't like it, but we have remained at the levels left by Duque. There is a slight trend towards reduction, but it is too slight to claim victory," he stated.

According to figures presented by the Ministry of Defence, 4,296 homicides have been recorded in the first four months of 2025, compared to 13,496 in 2024. The Colombian leader outlined the history of murders from 1990 to 2024. Another chart covering the period from 2003 to 2025 shows a rate of 24.4 daily homicides this year. It also demonstrates that contract killing is the leading cause of deaths, with 141,588 victims.

"The money used for contract killings in Colombia comes from funding that is always linked to an illicit economy, which has become the major promoter of violence in today's Colombia. We are talking about organisations built to kill," Petro added. However, the president denied the existence of a "chaos of violence," corrected those debating security and the numerous conflicts, and who speak of "terrorism," pointing to foreign drug cartels.

Gustavo Petro stated that violence in Colombia had changed its structure and motivations. He also warned that the Government's security policy must adapt to these changes to be effective: "We fail if we apply policies designed for a phase of the conflict that is no longer current. And that is what is happening today."

He did not stop at that point, clearly alluding to the so-called 'pistol plan' being implemented by the Gulf Clan drug trafficking group alongside the ELN guerrilla, which has already resulted in the murder of 15 police officers and 12 soldiers. During his hour-long speech, Petro accused institutions "that are neither of the people nor the Constitution, deciding when the president can speak" of being fascists and a censorship tribunal, following the State Council's decision not to allow the broadcast of ministerial meetings on national television.

Nonetheless, Gustavo Petro took the time to showcase his government's greatest success so far this year: the appointment of Laura Gil as the first woman elected as the Deputy Secretary of the OAS (Organization of American States). Gil had served as Deputy Foreign Minister and Colombia's ambassador to Austria. She will assume the role in July for the 2925-2030 term. "Latin American progressivism triumphs, and Colombia begins its transformation open to the world," the Colombian president wrote on social media.