The Bojayá Massacre

Civilians trapped by fighting

In late April and early May 2002, communities around Bojayá and Vigía del Fuerte were caught between fighting involving the FARC-EP's José María Córdoba structures and the Élmer Cárdenas paramilitary bloc. Hundreds of civilians sought refuge inside the San Pablo Apóstol church in Bellavista.

On May 2, a projectile launched by FARC-EP fighters struck the church. The blast caused mass civilian deaths, including many children, and became one of the most emblematic atrocities of Colombia's armed conflict.

Why the death toll varies

The national Victims Unit memorial has long described 79 people killed inside the church. The National Centre for Historical Memory has published later reconstructions using 81 deaths in one dataset, while other commemorative and forensic records use still higher totals. A community memorial cloth bears 119 names, reflecting a broader process of remembrance that includes people whose identification and accounting evolved over time.

These figures should not be collapsed into one unsupported total. The disagreement reflects different institutional methodologies, later identifications and the difficulty of documenting victims after a mass-casualty event during active conflict.

Responsibility acknowledged before the JEP

In a collective voluntary statement made within the Special Jurisdiction for Peace, six former members of FARC-EP's Front 34 acknowledged collective responsibility for the Bojayá massacre. The JEP publicized that recognition in January 2022.

That acknowledgment is important, but it is not identical to a conventional criminal trial producing a single final sentence for every individual who may bear responsibility. Colombia's post-2016 transitional-justice framework is designed to establish truth, responsibility, reparations and sanctions through a different process.

Ongoing transitional-justice work

In 2024 the JEP created Joint Case 04-09 to investigate non-amnistiable crimes in Chocó and Urabá, including the Middle Atrato subregion that contains Bojayá. The case examines crimes attributed not only to former FARC-EP structures, but also to members of the security forces and third parties where supported by evidence.

The existence of that broader investigation does not prove criminal responsibility for every actor named in historical allegations. The page therefore distinguishes admitted FARC-EP responsibility for the church attack from unresolved questions about the wider conflict environment, warnings, protection failures and conduct of other armed actors.

Timeline

Current status

The case is classified as Partially Adjudicated / Transitional Justice Active. Responsibility for the church attack has been acknowledged by former FARC-EP members before the JEP, but the broader justice process continues and the site does not present unresolved institutional or individual allegations as final criminal findings.