In Colombia, a country scarred by over half a century of armed conflict, the dream of peace remains a distant reality for countless Indigenous, Afro-descendant, and peasant communities. Despite the 2016 peace accords, violence persists, with hunger emerging as one of its silent and most devastating accomplices. The connection between armed conflict and food insecurity is starkly evident in the exponential rise in forced displacements and confinements.

In remote border regions like the Amazon rainforest, non-state armed groups (NSAGs) exert control over vast territories, imposing curfews and confinements that isolate entire communities. These strategies, designed to control and subdue populations, disrupt traditional ways of life. Indigenous communities in the Putumayo region, who depend on fishing, hunting, and small-scale agriculture, bear the brunt of these measures. Mobility restrictions block access to essential livelihoods and halt trade, leaving nearly half the region’s population struggling with hunger.

Forced displacement further compounds this crisis. Colombia ranks as the fourth country globally—and the first in the Americas—with the highest number of internally displaced persons. Families fleeing violence abandon their homes, land, and livelihoods, seeking refuge in overcrowded informal settlements on the outskirts of cities. These fragile shelters often provide no escape from food insecurity, as displaced families struggle to secure even basic sustenance.

For this project, I traveled across Colombia to uncover the hidden connection between hunger and conflict. Through portraits, landscapes, and testimonies, my work documents the profound effects of violence on food security while amplifying the voices of those who endure it daily. This project serves as a visual testament to survival, resilience, and the urgent need for action in a country where war continues to deny many their most basic human right: the right to food.