Security update
October 13: a surrender law for the armed groups, and a prison guard killed in Cúcuta
Here's what happened since the last update, and what each one means.
1A surrender law for the armed groups goes to Congress
On Tuesday, October 13, Interior Minister Rodrigo Lara and Justice Minister Iván Cancino filed the government's submission bill (ley de sometimiento) in Congress, with an urgency message that gives it priority. It ends the "total peace" (paz total) talks. Armed groups get a fixed offer to submit to the courts, with no political status. Members who submit can get up to 50% off their sentences, and leaders up to 30%, with no leader serving less than 10 years. The benefits depend on telling the truth, paying reparations to victims and helping dismantle the group. Military operations, arrest warrants and extraditions don't stop during the process. Under the current law, anyone convicted of forcing children into an armed group is shut out of all benefits. The bill replaces that with a case-by-case review, and the benefits require handing over the children right away. The government wants it passed before November 4. Infobae reports the government calls this law the carrot, and the anti-terrorism law it plans to file starting October 15 or the week after, the stick.
What it meansThe groups now get one offer: submit to the courts, or keep being hunted. The fight in Congress will be over the 50% cut and over opening benefits to people who forced children into their ranks.
2A prison guard killed by hitmen in Cúcuta
Bryan Rangel Saavedra, a guard at the Cúcuta penitentiary, was attacked by hitmen after his shift at a gas station about 3 kilometers from the prison, and he died. Justice Minister Iván Cancino said: "We're going to pursue them; there won't be a place on earth where they can hide from the weight of the law." No arrests have been reported, and no group has been named. On October 10, 2 guards from El Bosque prison in Barranquilla were shot after their shift. A guards' union, the UTP, is asking for more police around the prisons, certified bulletproof vests and a national prison security roundtable.
What it meansPrison guards are being hunted after their shifts: in 4 days, 1 has been killed and 2 wounded.
3Drones hit a police substation in Jamundí
On Tuesday, October 13, drones with explosives attacked the police substation in Potrerito, a rural area of Jamundí, Valle del Cauca. Semana reports at least 4 strong blasts and blames FARC dissidents. No injuries were reported, and there's no official report yet. A military source said troops were moving in to support the police.
What it meansJamundí borders Cali on the south, so these drone attacks happen right next to Colombia's 3rd largest city.
4A dissident banner and a cylinder at Cali's stadium
Early on October 13, a cylinder painted in the colors of the flag, with a banner referring to the FARC dissidents, was left on the east side of the Pascual Guerrero stadium in Cali. Infobae says the banner is attributed to the Jaime Martínez structure. The police bomb squad found no explosives. Mayor Alejandro Eder said it was left to create fear, and he asked people for information. No one has been arrested.
What it meansThe groups are using fake bombs to spread fear in the big cities: 2 in a week, after the ELN flag and cylinders in Barranquilla on October 8, and neither had explosives.
5Cali's plan for the October 14 march
Mayor Alejandro Eder says more than 1,000 police will be out for Wednesday's march, with checkpoints in the city and at its entrances and exits, and protection for the MIO bus stations. The march goes in the morning from Parque de las Banderas to Plazoleta Jairo Varela. He said that if there's violence, vandalism or blockades, "our response will be quick and forceful." He also said there's no sign so far that the march will get out of hand.
What it means for usIf you live in Cali, stay away from the march route on Wednesday morning, and expect checkpoints when you drive in or out of the city.
6A deadline for foreign residents: October 31
Foreigners holding a Permanent Resident visa issued under the old rules must transfer it to the current rules by October 31, 2026, the foreign ministry says. On September 15, the ministry said this applies to holders whose visa label has expired, is about to expire, or was issued with indefinite validity. The transfer is done online only, on the ministry's portal, and costs US$112. Migración Colombia needs it to issue the foreigner ID card (cédula de extranjería). The ministry advises doing it directly, without intermediaries.
What it means for usIf you're a permanent resident with an older visa, you have 18 days. The ministry hasn't said what happens to people who miss it.
The scorecard
An intelligence count published by El Tiempo on October 13, done early in the second half of 2026, puts the armed groups at 29,059 members and support networks. That's up 2.7% from 28,301 at the end of 2025. The biggest rise is in the southwest, the army's Third Division area, up 9.1%, from 5,070 to 5,532.
What it meansThe groups are still growing, and they're growing fastest in the southwest, where this week's attacks in Cauca and Valle happened.
On social media
As of 6:30 PM, he hadn't posted about the surrender law, the guard killed in Cúcuta or the drone attack in Jamundí. His security post of the day was a short video from a security council at national police headquarters in Bogotá: 72,000 views, 5,900 likes and 224 replies. The replies back him, with very few likes, and insults on both sides. The most-liked support: "I repeat, thank God the Holy Father, Colombia has a President. May God the Holy Father bless you and protect you from all evil and danger." (11 likes) The most-liked critic (14 likes) only insulted him. A quieter critic: "And when are you going to take care of the citizen who gets up at 5 in the morning to go to work, trying to get there safe and sound? When?" (0 likes) Another: "the city of Bogotá needs an urgent intervention on security, the organized crime groups are finishing off the city." (0 likes) The new theme came from the prison guards themselves. A guards' union account wrote that "the Inpec prison guard staff are being killed," and asked him to change their shifts to 24 hours on, 48 off to cut their exposure. The October 14 march is the other theme, and #Este14YoMarchoPorLaVida ("This 14th I march for life") was trending in Colombia. This comes from the top replies on X, not a poll.
I support most of this. But it doesn't go far enough. These groups use any space they're given to reset and grow. They need to be crushed, not contained.