Weekly Report - 10 December 2020 (WR-20-49)

Speaking after a police promotion ceremony held on 8 December, Colombia’s President Iván Duque sought to showcase a successful year of fighting crime. Duque reported that the country’s homicide rate had fallen to its lowest level since 1974, and he highlighted a 30% year-on-year decline in thefts from homes and businesses. He neglected to mention, however, that the activity of illegal armed groups has gone in the opposite direction, with massacres of civilians being carried out at a level not seen in over a decade.