Origins
Land Inequality
A small elite owned the vast majority of Colombia's land, leaving rural peasants with no economic stability and fueling deep resentment that would drive armed resistance.
Mass Commercial Agriculture
The expansion of large-scale farming operations displaced entire rural communities, concentrating wealth in corporate hands while destroying traditional ways of life.
Guerrilla Resistance
Armed groups like the FARC and ELN emerged as a direct response to inequality and state neglect, drawing support from impoverished rural populations and escalating into decades of conflict.