A/80/181 competing geopolitical interests. They remain largely untouched by urban development and experience minimal or ineffective State presence, as well as limited access to public services. A key factor contributing to the difficult living conditions of Indigenous Peoples in those remote areas is the legacy of forced displacement and dispossession of land rights, which has frequently pushed them into those isolated or borderland regions. 30 Most Indigenous Peoples now reside on the last remnants of their ancestral lands, with nowhere further to retreat. Armed conflicts 54. Indigenous Peoples’ territories are often the theatre of armed conflict, which has a disproportionate impact on Indigenous women, children and older persons. 31 Although Indigenous Peoples are rarely parties to these conflicts, they are often caught in the crossfire and suffer disproportionately from the consequences, which include forced recruitment and displacement. Their territories often become military targets or source of income for armed groups. 55. The situation in Colombia illustrates the challenges for Indigenous Peoples in the context of prolonged armed conflict. The country has endured more than six decades of internal conflict, during which Indigenous Peoples, who represent over 4 per cent of the population and inhabit territories covering approximately 30 per cent of the national land, have faced disproportionate harm. The conflict, largely driven by disputes over land, has subjected Indigenous Peoples to killings, forced recruitment, displacement, disappearances and other forms of mistreatment, placing several groups at risk of extinction. Initially excluded from peace negotiations, Indigenous Peoples later secured participation in the partial peace process that culminated in the 2016 peace agreement. In particular, the agreement includes a prominent “ethnic chapter” and led to the establishment of the Special Jurisdiction for Peace, which recognizes land as a subject of rights, something that marks as an important step towards addressing historical injustices. The Guardia Indígena (Indigenous guards) are community-based, unarmed security forces that protect their territories, mediate local disputes and monitor human rights violations; they are recognized as legitimate security actors in peace zones. 32 56. In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Batwa Indigenous Peoples in the Ituri and Kivu regions have been affected by ongoing armed conflict. Although they are not involved in the fighting, their ancestral lands have become militarized zones, which are targeted for their natural resources. Armed groups have displaced the Batwa and exposed them to violence; Indigenous women and children have been particularly affected. 33 Terrorism and organized crime 57. Due to the absence of strong and deterrent State institutions and public services, often compounded by the erosion of traditional governance structures, Indigenous Peoples’ territories have increasingly become vulnerable to infiltration by terrorist groups and organized crime. Chronic neglect by Governments fosters discontent among forgotten populations and creates a power vacuum that is then exploited by criminal networks and extremist groups that exploit communities’ resentments and disenfranchisement, including for recruitment purposes. __________________ 30 31 32 33 14/21 See A/HRC/54/52 and A/HRC/EMRIP/2019/2/Rev.1. See A/HRC/57/47/Add.1. Ibid. See communication COD 1/2025 and www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2025/02/un-experts-callurgent-humanitarian-relief-and-political-solution-protect. 25-11701