Arenal, Colombia

While working with Community Peacemaker Teams in the Magdalena Medio region of Colombia, my colleague and I were invited to accompany the return of four community organizers who were falsely imprisoned after being accused of supporting the guerrilla group ELN. It was November 2017, and the formal peace process with the FARC was still unfolding, while in rural areas of the Magdalena Medio region, the ELN continued to operate, and the state presence was corrupt. This day holds precious memories of my internship with CPT, where we joined other human rights groups to support the peaceful return of leaders to their families and communities; the reception for these organizers was celebratory, mournful, and precarious all at the same time.