Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with the Government of Colombia on protection for leaders of the FARC party since the attempted murder of Fancy Urrego (Erika Montero), a member of that party's leadership; and if he will make a statement.

I discussed the killings of former members of the FARC, human rights defenders and social activists in Colombia with President Duque's advisor for international affairs and human rights on 17 October. I also condemn the attempted murder of FARC leader Erika Montero in Medellin on 4 November which seeks to undermine confidence in the peace process.

The Colombian Government has taken welcome steps to train protection teams for FARC leaders, with recruits including former FARC combatants. The UK has raised the importance of providing security guarantees set out in the peace deal during discussions at the UN Security Council where the UK holds the pen for the peace process, and through CSSF funding we have strengthened the Colombian Government's capacity to do this. The UK has also called for improved protection measures for human rights defenders, including through recommendations that Colombia accepted during its Universal Periodic Review of Human Rights at the UN (Geneva) in May.

The UK fully supports implementation of the 2016 historic peace agreement and continues to work closely with the new Colombian Government and international partners to ensure a safer more prosperous future for all Colombians.