Colombia's 54-Year Civil Conflict Has Claimed 220,000 Lives

Defected members (with armbands) of Colombian guerrilla group ELN fall in at a military base during their surrender and the handover of their weapons, in Cali July 16, 2013. REUTERS-Jaime Saldarriaga

Report: Colombia’s Conflict Has Claimed 220,000 Lives Since 1958 -- Miami Herald

BOGOTA, Colombia -- At least 220,000 people have been killed, more than 5,000 have disappeared and 4.7 million have been forced off their land during Colombia’s 54-year civil conflict. The chilling numbers, presented Wednesday by a government commission, are the most thorough accounting ever made of this nation’s ongoing struggles.

The report, which took six years to compile, comes as the country is in the midst of peace talks with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, the nation’s largest guerrilla group, even as it engages the rebels in pitched battles.

Among the study’s findings: Civilians accounted for 82 percent of all conflict-related deaths, and one out of every three violent deaths can be blamed on the conflict. Of the 1,982 massacres — defined as the killing of four or more people — from 1980 to 2012, right-wing paramilitary groups were responsible for 59 percent of them. Of the 27,023 kidnappings from 1970 to 2010, guerrillas were to blame 91 percent of the time.

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More News On A Report That Details The Human Cost Of Colombia's 54-Year Civil Conflict

The human toll of Colombia's conflict: 220,000 lives and counting -- Christian Science Monitor
Historical panel says Colombia’s conflict has claimed at least 220,000 lives, mostly civilians -- Washington Post/AP
Colombia report reveals deadly extent of five-decade conflict -- Reuters
Colombia admits rights violations in battle with leftists -- AFP
"The war dehumanised us" - Colombia president -- Reuters
FACTBOX: Colombia's armed conflict in numbers -- Reuters