On the muddy banks of the Caguán River, at the edge of Colombia's Amazon rainforest, a heavy stillness hangs in the air. The town of Cartagena del Chairá is nearly silent, with boats moored peacefully along the shore. But beneath the calm, there is no sense of safety.
“People are afraid. The situation is very difficult. We can't move to buy food, supplies, or anything. Many children can't go to school,” said resident David Rincon, who requested a pseudonym.
A few days earlier, on May 12, residents received voice messages ordering them not to travel by road or river. The messages came from the Carolina Ramirez Front of the Estado Mayor Central (EMC), one of many groups involved in a conflict that has raged since the 1960s in Colombia.
The ban has isolated parts of Caqueta province. Compliance is not optional: “If you don't obey, they threaten you — or worse,” Rincon told Al Jazeera.
Ending the decades-long conflict seems beyond the reach of outgoing President Gustavo Petro's government. This could weaken his leftist coalition ahead of the presidential election on May 31.
“There is no peace or quiet for anyone,” Rincon said. “You don't know what will happen next. You don't know what to do.”
