Former members of the FARC and the public security forces who appeared before the SJP are working together toward the shared goal of contributing to the search for persons reported missing, carrying out memory initiatives, and raising awareness in society to prevent repetition.

“My name is Luz Sneider Vargas, I live here, and I am looking for my daughter, Johana Guzmán Vargas. She went missing on 23 June 2008 in Llorente, Nariño. If anyone has information about her or her whereabouts, please reach out to me.” Cut!

Luz Sneider’s voice echoes through a corner of Bolívar Square in Palmira, Valle del Cauca. Her testimony is being recorded as part of the commemoration of the Week of the Detained-Disappeared, held from 26 to 31 May. The event was organised by Corporación para el Desarrollo Regional (CDR), together with a group of women—mothers, wives, sisters, and daughters—who continue to search for their relatives who went missing during the armed conflict. Like Luz Sneider Vargas, many other women step forward to share their stories. Some have been searching for their loved ones for over 20 years, while others are mourning relatives who have passed without learning the fate of their loved ones.

They all share the same pain, the same uncertainty, and the same struggle. Betty González, another woman searcher, shares that she has been looking for her son, Jairo Alfredo Hurtado González, for over 20 years. He went missing in Sonsón, Antioquia, on 13 May 2003. She speaks about her work alongside other women from municipalities across Valle del Cauca. They come together to remember their loved ones and to ensure they are never forgotten.
 

Betty describes the work at the Palmira cemetery as a “profoundly moving experience. A plot in the cemetery has been designated to respectfully lay to rest unidentified individuals. Together with people appearing before the Special Jurisdiction for Peace (SJP), we painted a mural, and we feel pleased because people can come and hopefully find their loved ones.”

A reconciliation experience

Betty refers to a project being implemented in the Palmira cemetery, which began in April 2024 and is the result of collaboration between two organisations: Corporación Reencuentros, with close to 100 peace signatories dedicated to the search for persons reported missing, and Fundación Comité de Reconciliación, an organisation that brings together former members of the security forces who appeared before the SJP.
 

After overcoming understandable mistrust and prejudice—having once fought on opposite sides of the conflict—both organisations joined forces to transform a plot of land in the Palmira cemetery and build 720 ossuaries for the dignified burial of bodies that may be found.

Beyond their shared commitment to the search for persons deemed missing, they have also worked in memory-building efforts to raise awareness and inspire a collective understanding of the importance of ensuring non-repetition. In all, 53 individuals, including former members of the FARC-EP and the public security forces, are actively engaged in this process.

“We got together to find them”

This initiative was conceived when Corporación Humanitaria Reencuentros, founded by peace signatories, set out to search for the remains of their comrades fallen in combat. In the process, they uncovered information that, once shared with a family, became instrumental in helping them recover their son’s body. Later, they reached out to the Unit for the Search for Persons Deemed Missing (UBPD). With its support, they located a grave and recovered the young man’s remains, which were later returned to his family. This marked the beginning of the process on a section of the Palmira cemetery, a site historically used to bury unidentified individuals, many of whom died under various circumstances linked to the armed conflict and earning it the name ‘The Courtyard of Oblivion.’
 

But their work turned out to be far more difficult than they could have imagined. The UBPD reports that 62 bodies have been recovered at this site so far. These remains are now in the custody of the Institute of Forensic Medicine, awaiting identification. However, a greater task awaits: ensuring that all of them receive a dignified burial, as many of the bodies found may never be named or returned to their families. The UBPD estimates that 126,895 people have gone missing in the context of the armed conflict in Colombia.

María Carlina Osorno Llanos, from Buga, Valle del Cauca, is another woman searcher. She has been searching for her missing relatives since 1990. “Five years ago, I was informed that our case had been shelved by the Office of the Attorney General,” she recalls. With no answers, four years ago she came across an event organised by Corporación para el Desarrollo Regional in Palmira’s main square. There, she found the support she needed to continue her search. Now, she participates in community workshops, awareness campaigns, and plays a role in the reconciliation process unfolding at the cemetery through the organisation. “It is in everyone’s interest; they benefit, and we do too,” she says. “Even if I don’t find my relatives, others may find theirs, and that brings a sense of relief. That is something.”

Changing mindsets

Gustavo Arbeláez Cardona, who appeared before the SJP, is a member of Corporación Reencuentros. He notes that “our mindset has changed. At first, we saw this as a strictly judicial process and a way to comply with the sanctions the SJP would impose on us. But over time, through daily interactions with victims and their experiences of suffering, we began to truly understand aspects of the conflict that we hadn’t perceived during the war. Being confronted by a victim is not easy, and never will be. Yet the humanity they share with us, and their stories, have profoundly changed us. They have reaffirmed our commitment to reconciliation, to the Peace Agreement, and to non-repetition."

Diego Alberto Bareño, a retired Army major and director of Fundación Comité de Reconciliación, who has also appeared before the SJP, says that the initiative is built on three pillars: restorative justice, memory, and infrastructure. He ads that “by working together with the victims, we have been able to build trust—through honest conversations, mutual respect, and the simple act of looking each other in the eye.”

The search for forgiveness

When asked about her relationship with those appearing before the SJP, Betty González responds with tenderness: “I see them, and I have had no issues. They are people too. Life’s circumstances may have led them down that path. I speak with them and ask them questions; they have even helped me get in touch with others because I am still searching for my son. Forgiveness is necessary. I must forgive from my heart. I know I must forgive to find peace within myself and with those around me.” 

Speaking about the work in the central cemetery, Diana Patricia Rodríguez—also a mother searching for a missing loved one—emphasises the open and respectful dialogue she has had with those who have appeared before the SJP. “You can tell they are open to change. I believe that when a person is willing to help and turn their life around, you can tell God is in their hearts,” she says.
 

Gustavo Arbeláez reflects on the greatest challenge he has encountered on this path. “At first, one might think that confronting the perpetrators would have a negative impact on the victims. But processes like this are about healing, for them and for us. Seeing the harm that we inflicted by destroying the dreams and lives of many has been overwhelming. And yet, you can see their effort to acknowledge us, despite all the pain we caused them,” he concludes.

When asked about forgiveness, Diana Patricia responds firmly: “People say, ‘but they caused so much harm!’ However, if we continue like this forever—if we don’t forgive and reach out—when will this war end? When will the pain go away? Change cannot come only from them; it has to come from us as well.”

 United in purpose, former combatants, victims, local institutions, the Church, and international partners are working hand in hand to enable change.

‘Only those who are forgotten are truly lost’

The site formerly known as The Courtyard of Oblivion is now taking a new shape. A mural was painted on the outer wall as the first step to redefine what this space means to the community. “We come together to find them—only those who are forgotten disappear” reads the inscription at the entrance to this section of the cemetery. It encapsulates the long-standing efforts of families searching for their missing loved ones.

María Carlina says that the cemetery’s courtyard has changed, sparking people’s interest in what is being done there. Diego Alberto is the leader behind this work. “This has been the most healing thing I have experienced, and I believe the same goes for members of the public security forces, because former enemies in the conflict are now standing together for a common cause: the victims of forced disappearance. We are contributing to peace, and that means a lot to us.”

 A memory exercise

The efforts at the Palmira cemetery are not only important but necessary. For many victims, this initiative has opened a space for dialogue with those who were once part of the conflict, allowing them to seek information about their missing relatives. At the same time, memory exercises bring a sense of hope to families who, after years of searching, felt that society’s indifference and the fading of their cause were slowly closing the door to discovering their loved ones’ whereabouts.

For the United Nations Verification Mission in Colombia, search activities are inherently reparative. Victims need to know where their loved ones are—where their remains rest—so they can finally begin to heal from the pain they have carried for years.
 

For Diana Patricia Rodríguez, “reparation means when someone who caused harm genuinely wants to make amends by making things right, stitching them back together, and fostering dialogue. I would feel repaired if those who know where my son is, told me what happened to him, and his whereabouts.”

Even after all these years, María Carlina remains committed to her cause. “Reparation means justice and truth. May everything—absolutely everything—be revealed!” she adds.

“The pain lives on in my heart. What I long for the most is to learn what happened to my son—why they took him, where he is,” Betty concludes with deep sorrow.

These mothers, sisters, wives, and relatives spend their days not just searching for their missing loved ones but also searching for someone who will listen to them, echo their voices, and fuel the hope of finding them. Anyone who shares their message, or contributes to the search, is a reminder that they are not alone. As the mural at the entrance to the cemetery reads, only those who are forgotten are truly lost.

* This project receives support from the United Nations Development Programme, the Peace Secretariat of the Government of Valle del Cauca, the Mayor’s Office of Palmira, Pastoral Social, the Unit for the Search for Persons Deemed Missing (UBPD), the Embassy of Sweden, GIZ, and the United Nations Verification Mission in Colombia.

By: Nadya Andrea González Alarcón
Communications Officer - Cali Regional Office
United Nations Verification Mission in Colombia