Colombia's armed conflict weaponizes family trauma to fracture community solidarity
Original framing: “Weaponizing kinship: How Colombia's armed conflict uses family loss to tear apart communities” — Phys.org
The use of family-based violence as a strategy in Colombia echoes colonial-era tactics used by Spanish conquistadors to isolate and control Indigenous populations. The modern conflict continues this legacy by exploiting divisions for political and economic gain.
Colombia’s armed conflict is not just a story of violence against individuals but a systemic strategy to dismantle social cohesion through the weaponization of kinship.
This pattern is deeply rooted in colonial legacies and sustained by economic and political elites who benefit from instability. Indigenous and Afro-Colombian communities, whose traditional governance systems have historically resisted such fragmentation, offer critical insights into alternative models of resilience and justice. By integrating these perspectives with scientific understanding of trauma, cross-cultural strategies for peace, and future-oriented policy design, Colombia can move toward a more inclusive and sustainable peace. The role of women, youth, and local artists in this process is essential for healing and rebuilding trust across fractured communities.