Colombian peasant organizations launch national strike for agrarian reform

Dozens of peasant organizations, unions and community organizations representing tens of thousands united for a national strike on May 20 to demand agrarian reform. Marches and street blockades in the countryside and major cities like Bogotá, Valledupar, Cartagena, Popayán, Montería and Sincelejo have shut down transportation and some services.

The demands are for the creation of a judicial body that would have the power to resolve land disputes, advance agrarian reform, and for the Colombian Congress not to sabotage debate on the matter.

There have been recent one-day national strikes by organized sectors in Colombia recently in April, and by educators in July 2025. Historic national strikes in 2020 and 2021 lasting days and weeks faced violent repression from the right-wing Ivan Duque government, military and police forces.

The massive mobilizations made it clear that the Colombian masses had enough of the oligarchy and held firm for change. These actions transformed the conditions in the country and made possible the election of Gustavo Petro and Gladys Marquez in 2022. Petro has been one of the leading outspoken elected officials in the world standing in resolute solidarity with Palestine. His recent statement about Bolivia’s mass movements’ strike being a “popular insurrection” against President Paz has caused the expulsion of the Colombian ambassador.

As Colombian presidential terms are limited to one four-year term, Petro’s time is up and the first round of elections will occur on May 31. Currently, there are three main candidates, with the leftist Senator Ivan Cepeda having support from much of the social movements. One of the armed guerrilla groups, the Ejército Liberación Nacional (ELN) vows to uphold a three-day ceasefire during the election window to allow as many voters to participate. The ELN has carried a number of attacks on military and police stations recently.

In addition to supporting the “total peace” of the 2016 Peace Accords with the FARC, Cepeda has stood out in his support for the freedom of political prisoner Simón Trinidad. Trinidad is a former leader of the FARC and currently in his 22nd year being held in the U.S. supermax prison in Florence, Colorado. Organizers with the Committee to Free Simon Trinidad have recently filed for a commutation of Trinidad’s sentence.

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