2026 in Colombia
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List of events, including those predicted and scheduled, of 2026 in Colombia.
Incumbents
[edit]- President: Gustavo Petro (2022–present).
- Vice President: Francia Márquez (2022–present).
Events
[edit]Ongoing
[edit]January
[edit]- 2 January – Colombia assumes a two-year non-permanent seat at the United Nations Security Council.[1]
- 3 January – President Petro orders the mobilization of security forces along the Colombia–Venezuela border in response to the 2026 United States strikes in Venezuela.[2]
- 6 January – The ELN abducts five police officers from a bus in the Catatumbo region. They are released on 19 January.[3]
- 10 January – A Piper PA-31 Navajo crashes in Paipa, Boyacá Department, killing all six occupants, including singer Yeison Jiménez.[4]
- 17 January –
- At least 27 people are killed in clashes between rival FARC dissident groups in El Retorno, Guaviare Department.[5]
- Two freight wagons detach and roll into streets in Duitama, Boyaca Department, killing one person.[6]
- 20 January – President Petro issues a decree reducing the wages of members of the Congress of Colombia by 30%, citing fiscal issues.[7]
- 22 January – Colombia announces a 30% tariff on unspecified imports from Ecuador and suspends sales of electricity to the latter country in retaliation for Quito imposing a 30% tariff on Colombian goods the previous day.[8]
- 28 January – SATENA Flight 8895, a Beechcraft 1900 operated by SATENA, crashes near Ocaña, Norte de Santander, on its way from Cúcuta, killing all 15 people on board including congressman Diógenes Quintero.[9]
- 29 January – The government issues a decree restricting the importation of drones, citing their usage in attacks by armed anti-state forces.[10]
February
[edit]- 4 February – Seven ELN rebels are killed in a military operation near the Venezuelan border.[11]
- 5 February –
- The United Kingdom imposes sanctions on three Colombians accused of recruiting mercenaries for the Rapid Support Forces in the Sudanese civil war (2023–present).[12]
- Santiago Gallon Henao, a suspect in the 1994 killing of football player Andrés Escobar, is shot dead in Mexico.[13]
- Six people are killed in a methane explosion at the Mata Siete coal mine in Guacheta.[14]
- 6–22 February – Colombia at the 2026 Winter Olympics
- 6 February – Two people are killed while four others are reported missing following an ambush on a convoy of senator Jairo Castellanos in Arauca Department.[15]
- 10 February –
- President Petro announces that he had survived an assassination attempt along with his daughters aboard a helicopter.[16]
- Senator Aida Quilcue and two bodyguards are briefly abducted from their vehicle in Cauca Department.[17]
- At least 22 people are reported killed in flooding across four northern departments.[18]
- 16 February – The Search Unit for Disappeared Persons announces the discovery and identification of the remains of Catholic priest turned ELN leader Camilo Torres Restrepo, who was killed fighting the military in 1966.[19]
- 20 February – The ELN declares a unilateral ceasefire to allow for the holding of the 2026 Colombian parliamentary election on 8 March.[20]
March
[edit]- 3 March – Authorities announce the arrest of 121 people in a nationwide operation against criminal groups and the ELN.[21]
- 8 March – 2026 Colombian parliamentary election: President Petro's Historic Pact wins a plurality in both houses of Congress.[22]
- 17 March – President Petro accuses Ecuador of infiltrating its territory and carrying out an airstrike that killed 27 people along their border.[23]
- 18 March – Ángel Esteban Aguilar Morales aka Lobo Menor, an Ecuadorean national suspected of leading the Los Lobos gang, is arrested in Mexico and extradited to Colombia, where he is also wanted on charges of involvement with FARC dissidents.[24]
- 23 March – 2026 Colombian Air Force Lockheed C-130 crash: A Lockheed C-130 Hercules of the Colombian Aerospace Force crashes during takeoff from Caucayá Airport in Puerto Leguízamo en route to Tres de Mayo Airport in Puerto Asís, both in Putumayo Department, killing 66 people.[25]
April
[edit]- 20 April – Three soldiers are killed in drone strikes carried out by the rebel group Comandos de la Frontera in Ipiales.[26]
- 24–29 April – First Conference on Transitioning Away from Fossil Fuels in Santa Marta.[27]
- 25 April – 2026 Cauca bombing: Twenty people are killed in a bomb attack on a bus blamed on FARC dissidents in Cauca Department.[28]
May
[edit]Scheduled
[edit]Deaths
[edit]- 3 January – Hernán Giraldo Jaramillo, 89, Roman Catholic prelate, auxiliary bishop of Pereira (1984–1987), bishop of Málaga–Soatá (1987–2001) and of Buga (2001–2012).[31]
- 5 January – Bonifacio Ávila, 75, Olympic boxer (1972).[32]
- 9 January – Beatriz González, 93, painter, sculptor, critic, curator, and art historian.[33]
- 10 January – Yeison Jiménez, 34, música popular singer and songwriter.[4]
- 15 January – Dogardisc, champeta singer and songwriter.[34]
- 28 January – Diógenes Quintero, 36, lawyer, human rights defender, and politician.[9]
- 21 February – Liliana Angulo Cortés, 51, visual artist and academic, director of the National Museum of Colombia (since 2024).[35]
- 23 March – Lucy Nieto de Samper, 102, journalist and writer.[36]
- 11 April – Pedro Ramayá Beltrán, 96, flautist and songwriter.[37]
- 24 April – Cristian Camilo Muñoz, 30, road racing cyclist.[38]
- 8 May – Germán Vargas Lleras, 64, vice-president (2014–2017), minister of the interior (2010–2012), and president of the Senate (2003–2004).[39]
References
[edit]- ^ "DRC, Liberia among five new non-permanent UN Security Council members". Africanews. 3 January 2026. Retrieved 3 January 2026.
- ^ "Colombia braces with alarm after Maduro's removal in Venezuela by US". Al Jazeera. 2026-01-03. Retrieved 2026-01-03.
- ^ "Colombia's ELN rebels free 5 police officers as they push for national accord". AP News. 2026-01-20. Retrieved 2026-01-20.
- ^ a b ""La avioneta despegó": Aerocivil aclaró detalles del accidente en que murió Yeison Jiménez" ["The aircraft took off": Aerocivil has clarified details of the accident in which Yeison Jiménez died], El Espectador (in Spanish), 2026-01-11, retrieved 2026-01-11
- ^ "Clashes in Colombia between rival rebel groups kill 27 people". Al Jazeera. 2026-01-19. Retrieved 2026-01-19.
- ^ "Tren se descarriló en Duitama y arrolló varios vehículos: mujer embarazada murió y hay heridos". Blu Radio (in Spanish). 17 January 2026. Retrieved 19 January 2026.
- ^ "Colombia slashes wages for its legislators as public spending balloons ahead of election". AP News. 2026-01-21. Retrieved 2026-01-21.
- ^ "Ecuador, Colombia ramp up trade war with tit-for-tat energy levies". France 24. 2026-01-23. Retrieved 2026-01-23.
- ^ a b "Ecuador, Colombia ramp up trade war with tit-for-tat energy levies". France 24. 2026-01-23. Retrieved 2026-01-23.
- ^ "Colombia restricts import of drones used in explosives attacks". France 24. 2026-01-30. Retrieved 2026-01-30.
- ^ "Strike kills guerrillas as US, Colombia agree to target narco bosses". France 24. 4 February 2026. Retrieved 6 February 2026.
- ^ "UK hits 'Sudan's war machine' with new sanctions". Radio Dabanga. 2026-02-05. Retrieved 2026-02-06.
- ^ "Suspect in murder of Colombian footballer Escobar killed in Mexico". France 24. 6 February 2026.
- ^ "Rescuers recover bodies of miners trapped in Colombia coal mine". AP News. 8 February 2026.
- ^ "Senator's motorcade attacked in Colombia: guards killed". Ukrainian National News. 6 February 2026.
- ^ "Colombian President Petro says 'escaped being killed' in assassination plot". Al Jazeera. 11 February 2026.
- ^ "Colombian senator kidnapped, president targeted in election run-up". Philippine Daily Inquirer. AFP. 11 February 2026.
- ^ "'We've lost everything': Colombia floods kill 22". France 24. 11 February 2026. Retrieved 11 February 2026.
- ^ "Remains of Colombian priest-turned-guerrilla identified six decades later". France 24. 17 February 2026. Retrieved 17 February 2026.
- ^ "Colombia's ELN rebels declare a unilateral ceasefire ahead of key congressional elections". AP News. 2026-02-24. Retrieved 2026-02-24.
- ^ "Colombian police capture 121 members of criminal groups charged with extortion and kidnappings". AP News. 2026-03-02. Retrieved 2026-03-04.
- ^ SUÁREZ, ASTRID; Rueda, Manuel (10 March 2026). "Colombia's President Petro wins in congressional election, but lacks majority to advance reforms". AP News. Retrieved 10 March 2026.
- ^ Alfie Pannell (2026-03-17). "Colombia's Petro accuses Ecuador of bombing near border". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 2026-03-18.
- ^ "Mexico arrests suspect wanted in the 2023 killing of Ecuadorian candidate and sends him to Colombia". AP News. Retrieved 2026-03-19.
- ^ Acosta, Luis Jaime (24 March 2026) [23 March 2026]. "At least 66 dead after Colombian military plane crashes shortly after takeoff". The Independent. Retrieved 23 March 2026.
- ^ "Drone attack kills 3 Colombian soldiers as rebel groups develop new lethal capabilities". AP News. 2026-04-21. Retrieved 2026-04-21.
- ^ "Countries to gather in Colombia for summit aimed at breaking fossil fuel reliance". AP News. 2026-04-24. Retrieved 2026-04-24.
- ^ "Death toll in Colombia highway bus bomb attack rises to 20". BBC. 2026-04-27. Retrieved 2026-04-27.
- ^ "Nine coal miners die in gas explosion in Colombia". BBC. 5 May 2026. Retrieved 5 May 2026.
- ^ "Leftist ex-rebel fighter and businessman head to Colombia runoff". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 2025-08-28.
- ^ "Monseñor Hernán Giraldo Jaramillo, obispo manizaleño, falleció a los 89 años". La Patria. Retrieved 6 January 2026.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ Romero, Pablo (January 5, 2026). "Luto en el boxeo colombiano por la muerte del legendario 'Bony' Ávila". El Tiempo (in Spanish). Retrieved January 5, 2026.
- ^ "Falleció Beatriz González, creadora de "Auras Anónimas", obra fundamental del espacio público colombiano" [Beatriz González, creator of "Auras Anónimas", fundamental work of the Colombian public space, has died]. Instituto Distrital de Patrimonio Cultural (in Spanish). 9 January 2026. Retrieved 2026-01-10.
- ^ "Murió Dogardisc, reconocido cantante de champeta, ¿qué le pasó?" [Dogardisc, renowned champete singer, has died, what happened?], El Colombiano (in Spanish), 2026-01-16, retrieved 2026-01-18
- ^ "Murió Astrid Liliana Angulo, directora del Museo Nacional de Colombia". El Tiempo. 21 February 2026. Retrieved 22 February 2026.
- ^ Toro, Saray González (2026-03-24). "Murió Lucy Nieto de Samper a los 102 años: seis décadas de periodismo narrando a Colombia". El Colombiano (in European Spanish). Retrieved 2026-04-15.
- ^ "Falleció Pedro 'Ramayá' Beltrán, ícono del folclor colombiano" [Pedro 'Ramayá' Beltrán, icon of Colombian folklore, has died], El Universal (in Spanish), 2026-04-11, retrieved 2026-04-11
- ^ "Tragedia en el ciclismo colombiano: murió Cristian Camilo Muñoz, que corrió con Tadej Pogacar y competía en Europa con el equipo NU". El Tiempo (in Spanish). 24 April 2026. Retrieved 24 April 2026.
- ^ "Murió Germán Vargas Lleras a los 64 años en Bogotá, esto es lo que se sabe del exvicepresidente". El Tiempo. 8 May 2026. Retrieved 9 May 2026.
