More than 80 human rights activists were killed in Colombia in 2017 despite a recent peace deal ending a decadeslong civil war, the United Nations said on Friday.

The conflict between the government and the left-wing Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) killed about 200,000 people before FARC renounced violence in 2016 and vacated areas of the country it had previously controlled.

But the UN's human rights agency, UNHRC, said that while the peace deal led to fewer murders nationwide, violence against human rights activists has continued.

Read more: Colombia heads to polls in first election since FARC peace process

Latin America's longest armed conflict comes to an end How the insurgency started In 1948, the assassination of populist leader Jorge Eliecer Gaitan sparked political chaos in Colombia known as "the violence." Tens of thousands died and peasant groups joined with communists to arm themselves. Later in 1964, a military attack on the insurgency's main encampment led to the creation of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia or FARC.

Latin America's longest armed conflict comes to an end What the rebels wanted FARC's political ideology has never been well defined. Initially, it sought to weaken the oligarchy's grip on power. The rebels also wanted land reforms in a country where more than 5 million people have been forcibly displaced, mostly by far-right militias. However, the group lost popularity as it turned to kidnapping and illegal gold mining for funds.

Latin America's longest armed conflict comes to an end How the US got involved To help the Colombian security forces fight against the insurgency and to counter drug-trafficking, the US began sending billions of dollars under Plan Colombia. The US State Department classifies the group as a terrorist organization and its leaders face US indictments.

Latin America's longest armed conflict comes to an end The human cost of the conflict Latin America's longest-running armed conflict is responsible for the death an estimated 220,000 people, while millions of Colombians have been displaced within their country. According to Bogota’s estimates, there are 7.6 million direct and indirect victims of the conflict. The country has more landmine victims than any country except for Afghanistan.

Latin America's longest armed conflict comes to an end Peace accord after decades of failed attempts Peace talks between FARC and the government collapsed in the mid 1980s after at least 3,000 allies of FARC's political wing Patriotic Union Party were killed at the hands of right-wing paramilitaries. Efforts fell short again in 2002 after the rebels hijacked an airliner to kidnap a senator. The latest round of talks started in 2012 in Havana and culminated on August 24, 2016 with a deal.

Latin America's longest armed conflict comes to an end 50 years of conflict "We have reached a final, integral and definitive agreement" to end the conflict and build a stable, lasting peace, the government of President Juan Manuel Santos and the left-wing Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia said in a joint statement. In June, the negotiators had already announced a cease-fire agreement and a blueprint for how the estimated 7,000 to 8,000 fighters will demobilize. Author: Aasim Saleem



Dangerous vacuums

Activists in formerly FARC-controlled areas have been particularly at risk, as armed drug gangs and smaller rebel groups, including the National Liberation Army (ELN), have filled in the gaps left by FARC's dissolution.

"The consolidation of armed groups and criminal organizations in these areas can ... undermine potential human rights benefits of the peace process," the UN said.

Contract killers, the UNHRC said, appeared to be responsible for nearly three in every five of such killings. The UN report also noted that 14 female and 36 minority activists were among the murdered activists.

Read more: Colombian military strikes back after ELN guerrilla attack

Colombia's parks: From FARC to tourists River of seven colors Within La Macarena National Park flows Cano Cristales, known as the river of seven colors. Its different shades of blue, red, green, pink and black are caused by the great quantity of aquatic plants, particularly the red Macarenia clavigera. From July to November the extreme clarity of the water — a result of low sediment levels — lets the colors glow.

Colombia's parks: From FARC to tourists From landmines to ecotourism The Serrania de la Macarena mountain range was one of the strongholds of the FARC (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia) rebel group. Now the community is starting up a successful ecotourism industry with the help of government agencies. Voluntary projects to remove landmines and manually eradicate cocaine plantations are taking place in parts of the park.

Colombia's parks: From FARC to tourists Watery path For Prussian explorer Alexander von Humboldt, the Maypures stream of Tuparro National Park was the eighth wonder of the world. Tuparro is part of the Orinoco region, known for an ecosystem of flooded and non-flooded savannas. Located near the Venezuelan border, the FARC sometimes used it as a pathway into the neighboring country. People now come here to go canoeing, hiking and bird watching.

Colombia's parks: From FARC to tourists UNESCO-recognized beauty In 1960, Cueva de los Guacharos became Colombia's first Natural National Park. It's part of the Cinturon Andino natural reserve, declared a biosphere reserve by UNESCO in 1979.

Colombia's parks: From FARC to tourists Home to oilbirds Guacharos, also known as oilbirds, are pigeon-like birds that live in the depths of the caves and go out at night to hunt food. Colombian government agency National Parks is working with the local community to improve ecotourism to the Guacharos now that the conflict with the FARC is over.

Colombia's parks: From FARC to tourists Whale watching On the Pacific coast, the dark-colored rainforests on the island of Gorgona merge into the sea. From June to October, humpback whales pass close to its beaches as they make their way south. In 1959, the government built a now-abandoned high-security prison here.

Colombia's parks: From FARC to tourists Site for scuba diving In November 2014, while peace talks were ongoing, members of the FARC took over Gorgona Island. Six of the soldiers that guarded the island were wounded, and one was killed. Today, the park offers various ecotourism activities, the most popular being scuba diving.

Colombia's parks: From FARC to tourists Home to the ELN For centuries, the U'wa indigenous people have lived among the snowy peaks of the Cordillera Oriental mountain range in Colombia's Andes Mountains. This area is also home to El Cocuy National Park, with peaks as high as 5,300 meters (17,300 feet). The ELN guerrilla group had a presence in the park, but like the FARC, the ELN recently agreed to a ceasefire deal with the government.

Colombia's parks: From FARC to tourists Climbers' paradise El Cocuy National Park is a haven for mountain climbers, the park's ecotourism activities have helped the development of local communities.

Colombia's parks: From FARC to tourists Hiking and whale watching Utria National Park is known for a narrow inlet — the Ensenada de Utria — where humpback whales mate and spend some time before continuing their journey south. Utria is located in the Choco region by the Pacific Ocean. Even though there has been sporadic presence of the ELN, the park, together with the local indigenous and Afro communities, offers hiking and whale watching.

Colombia's parks: From FARC to tourists Tourism boost Colombia's peace deal may only be a year old, but ceasefires broadly held during the negotiations. And the impact of peace is already reflected in visitor numbers to parks around the country. Compared to 2015, the number of visitors rose by 61 percent in 2016. And in the first half of 2017, the country's parks registered another bump of 8.6 percent, compared to the same period last year. Author: Cristina Esguerra



Colombian government's responsibility

The agency accused the government of being partially to blame for the continuing violence.

"Some of the killings of human rights defenders, especially in areas of former influence of FARC-EP, could arguably have been prevented by a timely and coordinated State response to implement the (peace) Agreement," it said.

The government has said it is bolstering efforts to prosecute the people and groups behind the killings.

amp/sms (Reuters, AP)