Colombia’s chronic war is one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises. Amid armed actors, pervasive violence, and increasing militarisation, many citizens experience hostility from all sides. This violence continues the historical marginalisation of Afro-descendent, indigenous, and campesino communities and is intensified by the Global War on Terror. In this context, aid agencies are challenged in their call to respond to the needs of those who suffer. But some ‘peace’ communities are rejecting violence and seeking ways to survive within war—becoming protagonists in their own protection.
