The situation in Colombia, plagued by a flourishing drug trade and widespread corruption, is explosive. The resurgence of armed conflict looms as a silent threat, sometimes even openly expressed by former combatants. Political polarization, extreme poverty exacerbated by the pandemic, and escalating violence are tearing the country apart.
More than seven years after the end of Ingrid Betancourt’s ordeal, over 500 people were kidnapped in 2022, a figure that increases by 30% annually. Telling her story sheds light on the past and future of the oldest democracy in Latin America, a democracy hanging by a thread.