More than 200 people, including peace signatories and residents of corregimiento La Trinidad in Convención, Norte de Santander, participated in a sports day where football was the star of the ‘Let’s Play for Peace’ match. 

“This is the encounter of peace, a space for gathering a reconciliation. This is the encounter of friendship and brotherhood. Friends and brothers are coming together. This is what we want for Colombia,” said José del Carmen Abreil, community leader of corregimiento La Trinidad and a participant in the tournament. 

“This is the encounter of peace, a space for gathering and reconciliation. This is the encounter of friendship and brotherhood. Friends and brothers are coming together. This is what we want for Colombia.

Carlos Samuel Abril, a peace signatory, praised the idea of holding an event where the community and people undergoing reintegration could come together to foster reconciliation and peacebuilding in this conflict-affected region. 

“We were hoping for the peace process to begin, and we want to reassure the community that there are people undergoing reintegration who do want peace; that we young people want to change the outlook of the region and hope for real change in our land,” said Carlos Samuel at the end of the ‘Let’s Play for Peace’ day. 

Sports were the vehicle for the community to come together for a weekend of brotherhood and send a message of reconciliation from the heart of Catatumbo. This activity was organized with the support of the Agency for Reintegration and Normalization (ARN) and the United Nations Verification Mission in Colombia.