The following is a list of notable massacres in Colombia. Most documented massacres have been a part of the wider Colombian conflict (1964-present day).
According to the Grupo de Memoria Histórica, there were 2,505 massacres in Colombia between 1973 and 2008.[1] The Colombian government defines a "massacre" as the killing of four or more people in the same act.[2]
| Name | Data | Place | Dead | Injured | Perpetrator | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Putumayo genocide | 1879 – 1912 | Putumayo Department | 32,000[3] to 40,000+[4] [5] | unknown | Peruvian Amazon Company | Members of the Huitoto, Andoques, Yaguas, Ocaina and Boras groups were hunted and enslaved so they could be used to extract latex.[6] During this time period, several tribes became extinct.[7] | ||
| Banana massacre | data-sort-value="1928-12-06" | December 6, 1928[8] | Ciénaga, Magdalena | estimated 47 to 2,000 | unknown | Colombian Army | Massacre of striking United Fruit Company workers by the Colombian Army | |
| 1939 Gachetá massacre | data-sort-value="1939-01-08" | January 8, 1939 | Gachetá, Cundinamarca | 9 | 17 | uncertain | The details of the event have been controversial, but the official version showed a balance of nine dead and 17 wounded, all related to the Colombian Conservative Party. | |
| Bogotazo | data-sort-value="1948-04-09" | April 9, 1948 | Bogotá | 600-3,000[9] | 450 | Massive riots took place in Bogotá, after the assassination of presidential candidate Jorge Eliécer Gaitán. | ||
| Palace of Justice siege | data-sort-value="1985-11-06" | November 6–7, 1985 | Palace of Justice, Bogotá | 98 | Several | Members of the 19th of April Movement take over the Palace of Justice, the home of the Supreme Court of Colombia, in hopes of forcing a trial of President Belisario Betancur. 98 people were killed, including 35 militants, 48 soldiers and 11 of the 25 Supreme Court Justices. | ||
| Tacueyó massacre | November 1985 and January 1986 | Town of Tacueyó, Toribío, Cauca | 164[10] | unknown | The Tacueyó massacre occurred between November 1985 and January 1986 in the township of Tacueyó, where the guerrilla "Comando Ricardo Franco Frente-Sur" was attacked. The massacre was discovered on December 13, 1985, and was carried out by guerrillas Hernando Pizarro Leongómez and Jose Fedor Rey (alias Javier Delgado) alleging that the 164 guerrillas killed in their own group were, according to them, infiltrators or informers of the National Army of Colombia or the CIA.[11] | |||
| Pozzetto Massacre | data-sort-value="1986-12-04" | December 4, 1986 | Bogotá | 30 | 12 | Campo Elías Delgado | Campo Elías Delgado kilis his mother and 28 others in a killing spree before being shot dead by police | |
| Massacre of Trujillo | 1988-1994 | Trujillo, Valle del Cauca | estimated 245 to 342 | unknown | Cali Cartel | Some 245 to 342 people, including unionists and suspected guerrilla supporters, were tortured and dismembered by paramilitaries and the Cali Cartel with the complicity of active members of the Colombian military and police. | ||
| Uraba massacre | data-sort-value="1988-03-04" | March 4, 1988 | Urabá Antioquia | 20 | unknown | former guerillas under direction of Colombian Army | Murder of banana workers orchestrated by the Colombian Army. [12] [13] [14] | |
| La Mejor Esquina massacre | data-sort-value="1988-04-03" | April 3, 1988 | Buenavista, Córdoba | 28 | 0 | Los Magnificos | 28 peasants are killed during an attack by the Los Magníficos gang, a paramilitary group[15] [16] | |
| Segovia massacre[17] | data-sort-value="1988-11-11" | November 11, 1988 | Segovia, Antioquia | 43[18] -46 | 50[19] -60+ | Muerte a Revolucionarios del Nordeste | The paramilitary group Muerte a Revolucionarios del Nordeste massacres 43-46 people in the urban area of the municipality of Segovia.[20] [21] | |
| La Rochela massacre | data-sort-value="1989-01-18" | January 18, 1989 | La Rochela, Simacota | 12 | 3 | hitmen under direction of Rodriguez Gacha | 15 judicial officials, who were investigating crimes committed in the area, were rounded up and shot by a group of gunmen sent by Rodriguez Gacha. 12 of the officials were killed, while 3 survived | |
| Avianca Flight 203 bombing | data-sort-value="1989-11-27" | November 27, 1989 | Cerro Canoas, Soacha | 110 | 0 | Muñoz Mosquera, Medellín Cartel | The Avianca Flight 203 is bombed en route from Bogotá to Cali. Medellín cartel hitman Dandeny Muñoz Mosquera is convicted for the bombing. | |
| DAS Building bombing | data-sort-value="1989-12-06" | December 6, 1989 | Bogotá | 63 | 600+[22] | Medellín Cartel | A truck bomb at the DAS headquarters kills 63 people and injures over a 600. The Medellín Cartel was responsible | |
| Villatina Massacre | data-sort-value="1992-11-15" | November 15, 1992 | Medellín | 9 | 0 | Colombian National Police | At least eight children and one young adult were killed by the Colombian National Police. | |
| Riofrio massacre | data-sort-value="1993-10-05" | October 5, 1993 | Riofrío, Valle del Cauca | 13 | 0 | In the village of El Bosque, Piedras Portugal, 13 ELN guerrillas died in combat with troops from the Palacé Battalion of the III Brigade. They were surprised while they prepared a handstand.[23] [24] [25] [26] [27] [28] | ||
| Mapiripán Massacre | data-sort-value="1997-07-15" | July 15–20, 1997 | Mapiripán, Meta Department | 30[29] -49[30] | 0 | United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia andColombian National Army | Around 30 to 49 people were killed with chainsaws and machetes by the United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia (AUC) in collaboration with units of the Colombian National Army[31] | |
| El Aro Massacre | data-sort-value="1997-10-22" | October 22, 1997 | Ituango, Antioquia Department | 15[32] -17[33] | 0 | United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia | 15 to 17 individuals accused of being leftist supporters of FARC were massacred by AUC | |
| San José del Guaviare massacre | data-sort-value="1997-11-11" | November 11–12, 1997 | San José del Guaviare, Guaviare Department | 11 | 0 | United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia | A Group of paramilitaries from the Centauros Bloc arrived in the municipality of San José del Guaviare and murdered 11 people.[34] | |
| Barrancabermeja massacre[35] | data-sort-value="1998-05-16" | May 16, 1998 | Barrancabermeja, Santander Department | 32 | unknown | Autodefensas de Santander y el Sur del Cesar | A group of paramilitaries belonging to the armed group Autodefensas de Santander y el Sur del Cesar, Ausac, assassinated seven people and kidnapped 25 others in the surroundings of the city of Barrancabermeja, in the region of Santander[36] [37] [38] | |
| Machuca Massacre | data-sort-value="1998-10-18" | October 18, 1998 | Machuca, Antioquia | 70[39] - 84[40] | 30+ | Guerillas belonging to the National Liberation Army (ELN) dynamited an oil pipeline which caused a spreading fire to the village. 70-84 people lost their lives, many of them children. | ||
| Villanueva Massacre | data-sort-value="1998-12-08" | December 8, 1998 | Villanueva, La Guajira | 11 | 0 | United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia | 11 people were assassinated by members of the United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia (AUC) by orders of Carlos Castaño. | |
| Santo Domingo massacre | data-sort-value="1998-12-13" | December 13, 1998 | Santo Domingo, Tame, Arauca | 17[41] | 27 | Colombian Air Force | A Colombian Air Force (FAC) helicopter murdered seventeen people in the middle of a confrontation with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia - People's Army (FARC-EP).[42] | |
| Playón de Orozco massacre | data-sort-value="1999-01-09" | January 9, 1999 | El Piñón, Magdalena | 27[43] | 0 | United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia | Paramilitaries from the North Block of the AUC shot and killed 27 people and dismembered them[44] | |
| 1999 San José del Guaviare massacre | data-sort-value="1999-07-28" | July 28, 1999 | San José del Guaviare, Guaviare Department | 4 | 0 | uncertain | a group of armed men murdered four people on the road leading from Puerto Arturo to El Retiro, in the municipality of San José del Guaviare.[45] | |
| La Gabarra massacre | data-sort-value="1999-08-21" | August 21, 1999 | La Gabarra, Tibú, Norte de Santander Department | estimated 35-43 | unknown | United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia | A massacre was perpetrated by members of the United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia against alleged members of FARC, killing 35-43 people. | |
| El Salado Massacre | data-sort-value="2000-02-16" | February 16, 2000 | El Salado, Bolívar | 60[46] -100+[47] | unknown | United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia | Mass murder of residents by United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia.[48] | |
| Reminiscencias dance club shooting | data-sort-value="2000-06-24" | June 24, 2000 | Bogotá | 11 | 7 | Juan de Jesús Lozano Velásquez | Juan de Jesús Lozano Velásquez murders 11 people in the Reminiscencias tavern bar | |
| Macayepo massacre | data-sort-value="2000-10-14" | October 14, 2000 | Macayepo, Bolívar | 15 | 0 | United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia | Mass Murder of 15 Peasants By Héroes de los Montes de María, a unit of the United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia (AUC) | |
| Chengue Massacre | data-sort-value="2001-01-17" | January 17, 2001 | Chengue, Ovejas, Sucre | 27 | 0 | United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia | 27 people are killed with mortars and machetes by AUC[49] [50] | |
| Alto Naya massacre | data-sort-value="2001-04-12" | April 10 and 13, 2001 | Alto Naya, Cauca Department | 100 estimated[51] | unknown | United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia | a group of more than 100 paramilitaries from the Calima Block of the AUC led by Everth Veloza, alias 'HH', toured the municipalities and territories surrounding the Naya River, located on the borders of Cauca and Valle del Cauca, transporting in trucks, On the way, they murdered peasants who were identified as collaborators with the guerrilla.[52] [53] [54] | |
| 2002 Apartado massacre | data-sort-value="2002-04-26" | April 26, 2002 | 9 | 2 | Members of the fifth and fifty-eighth fronts of the Revoultionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) arrived in the Salsipuedes area in the municipality of Apartadó, Antioquia, entered the Villa Lucía banana plantation, blew up the property, gathered its workers, and after asking them for the site's managers and getting no response, they shot them indiscriminately. Nine people died and two others were injured.[55] [56] | |||
| Bojayá massacre | data-sort-value="2002-05-02" | May 2, 2002 | Bojayá, Chocó | 119 | 98 | Revoultionary Armed Forces of Colombia | FARC launches a mortar bomb against a church during combat with AUC, killing at least 119 civilians, 48 of whom were children. | |
| 2003 El Nogal Club bombing | data-sort-value="2003-02-07" | February 7, 2003 | Bogotá | 36 | 200+ | uncertain | A car bomb goes off in the garage of the El Nogal club in Bogotá, killing 36 people and injuring 200+ | |
| 2003 Neiva bombing | data-sort-value="2003-02-14" | February 14, 2003 | Neiva, Huila | 15[57] | 66 | Revoultionary Armed Forces of Colombia- Peoples Army | The FARC-EP carry out an attack using a house loaded with explosives in Neiva (Huila) with which they intended to assassinate President Álvaro Uribe . 15 people die, including a prosecutor and the sectional captain of intelligence of the Colombian National Police in Neiva, and 66 are injured.[58] | |
| Bahía Portete massacre | data-sort-value="2004-04-16" | April 16, 2004 | Bahía Portete, La Guajira | 12 | 1 | United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia | Murder of 12 members of the Wayuu indigenous community by paramilitary groups of the United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia (AUC) Wayuu Counter-Insurgency Bloc | |
| 2004 La Gabarra massacre | data-sort-value="2004-06-15" | June 15, 2004 | La Gabarra, Tibú, Norte de Santander | 34 | 0 | Revoultionary Armed Forces of Colombia- Peoples Army | A Group of men from the 33rd Front of the FARC-EP arrived at the farm located on the Pico de Águila hill, in the district of La Gabarra, in Tibú, Norte de Santander, and murdered 34 peasants.[59] [60] [61] | |
| 2004 Cunday massacre | data-sort-value="2004-09-02" | September 3, 2004 | Cunday, Tolima Department | 4 | 0 | Paramilitaries from the Tequendama Front of the Centauros Bloc murdered four people in the municipality of Cunday, Tolima[62] | ||
| Jamundí massacre | data-sort-value="2005-02-21" | February 21–22, 2005 | Jamundí | 11 | 0 | Colombian National Army | Massacre of ten policemen and a civilian by the Colombian National Army. | |
| San José de Apartadó massacre | data-sort-value="2005-02-21" | February 21–22, 2005 | San José de Apartadó, Apartadó, Antioquia Department | 8 | 0 | Military of Colombia, United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia | Mass murder of five adults and three children by members of the Military of Colombia and United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia | |
| Nariño massacres | data-sort-value="2009-02-04" | February 4 and February 11, 2009 | Nariño Department | 27 | 0 | Revoultionary Armed Forces of Colombia | 27 indigenous Awás were massacred in two massacres perpetrated by members of the rebel Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia | |
| 2018 Colombia police stations attacks | data-sort-value="2018-01-27" | January 27–28, 2018 | Bolívar Department and Atlántico Department | 8 | 48 | uncertain | A series of attacks attributed to the ELN against the National Police in the departments of Atlántico and Bolívar, left a balance of 8 police officers dead and 48 wounded | |
| 2019 Bogotá car bombing | data-sort-value="2019-01-17" | January 17, 2019 | Bogotá | 22 | 68 | uncertain | A car bomb entered a police school compound and detonated after hitting a wall | |
| data-sort-value="2020-03-21" | March 21, 2020 | La Modelo prison, Bogotá | 23 | 83 | At least 23 prisoners were killed and 83 injured during a riot which erupted in La Modelo prison in Bogotá amid fears over spreading of SARS-CoV-2 through prison walls during the COVID-19 pandemic | |||
| Arauca, Cauca and Nariño massacres | data-sort-value="2020-08-22" | August 22, 2020 | Arauca, Cauca and Nariño | 28[63] | unknown | Three massacres kill 28 people, in Arauca, Cauca, and Nariño[64] [65] | ||
| Javier Ordóñez protests | data-sort-value="2020-09-09" | September 9–10, 2020 | Bogotá | 14[66] | 400+ | Protests following the death of Javier Ordóñez, 42, at the hands of police leave 14 dead and over 400 were injured[67] | ||
| 2022 Arauca clashes | data-sort-value="2022-0102" | January 2, 2022 | Arauca Department | 23 | unknown | 23 people were killed in clashes between far-left guerrilla groups in Arauca Department | ||
| Tuluá prison riot | data-sort-value="2022-06-28" | June 28, 2022 | Tuluá, Valle del Cauca Department | 52 | 34 | A fire broke out during a riot inside a prison in Tuluá, killing at least 52 people and injuring at least 34 | ||
| 2022 Huila attack | data-sort-value="2022-09-02" | September 2, 2022 | San Luis, Huila Department | 7 | 1 | A police vehicle hit a bomb near the town of Corozal, killing seven police officers and injuring another. | ||
| Santander de Quilichao massacre | data-sort-value="2023-12-22" | December 22, 2023 | Santander de Quilichao, Cauca | 5 | 0 | uncertain | Five people were murdered by armed men in two different locations[68] [69] [70] |