List of wars involving Colombia

This is a list of wars involving the Republic of Colombia and its predecessor states from Pre-Hispanic times to the present day.

Picture Conflict Combatant 1 Combatant 2 Results
Battle of Pasca
(~1470)

Zipazgo of the southern Muisca

Sutagao & Panche

Zipazgo victory
  • Sutagao submitted to Muisca rule
Battle of Chocontá
(~1490)

Zacazgo of the northern Muisca

Zipazgo of the southern Muisca

Zipazgo of the southern victory
Spanish conquest of the Muisca
(1537-1540)

Guecha warriors
of the Muisca

Conquistadors
of the Spanish Empire
Spanish victory
War of Jenkins' Ear
(1739-1748)
 Spain  Great Britain Status quo ante bellum
Seven Years' War
(1762-1763)
Anglo-Prussian coalition victory[3]
Colombian War of Independence
(18101825)

Supported by:
 and its territories:

Colombian and Allied victory
Venezuelan War of Independence
(1811–1823)
Patriots
1811–1816:
Venezuela
Colombia
1816–1819:
Venezuela
Haiti[4]
1819–1823:
Gran Colombia
Royalists
Spain
Patriot victory
Ecuadorian War of Independence
(1809–1822)

Spanish Empire

Patriot victory
  • Annexation of the territory to independent Gran Colombia
Dissolution of Gran Colombia
(1826-1831)

 Colombia

Venezuelan Separatists
Ecuadorian Separatists
Defeat
  • Dissolution of Gran Colombia into the republics of Venezuela, Ecuador and New Granada
Gran Colombia–Peru War
(1828–1829)
Gran Colombia Peru Stalemate
War of the Cauca
(1832)
New Granada Ecuador Victory
  • Neogranadine victory
Occupation of Bocas del Toro of 1836
(1836)
New Granada Federal Republic of Central America Victory
  • The Republic of New Granada takes possession of the Miskito Coast without Central American resistance
War of the Supremes
(1839–1841)
New Granada
Ecuador
Supremes Victory
Colombian Civil War of 1851
(1851)
New Granada Conservatives Victory
  • Liberation of the slaves
Colombian Civil War of 1854
(1854)
Constitutionalists Melist Government Victory
  • José María Melo exiled
Colombian Civil War of 1860–1862
(1860–1862)
Granadine Confederation Federal State of Cauca Defeat
Ecuadorian–Colombian War
(1862–1863)
Colombia Ecuador Victory
Colombian Civil War of 1876
(1876–1877)
Colombia Colombian Conservative Party Victory
Colombian Civil War (1884–1885)
(1884-1885)
Colombia Radical liberals Victory
  • New constitution in 1886, Colombia becomes a unitary republic
Panama Crisis
(1885)
Colombia
Chile
Panamanian Rebels Victory
Italian blockade of Colombia
(1885-1899)
Colombia Kingdom of Italy Stalemate
  • Payment of part of the debt
Colombian Civil War of 1895
(1895)
Colombia Liberal Rebels Victory
Curuchupadas
(1895-1899)
Ecuadorian Conservatives

Colombia

Ecuador Defeat
Thousand Days War
(1899–1902)
Colombia Colombian Liberal Party
Ecuador
Venezuela
Nicaragua
Guatemala
Victory
Separation of Panama from Colombia
(1903)
Colombia United States
Panama
Defeat
  • Independence of the then department of Panama from Colombia
Separation of Cauca from Colombia

(1909)

Colombia Interoceanic Republic Cauca parliamentarians intend to separate from Colombia and create their own state.[5]
Battle of La Pedrera
(1911)
Colombia Peru Defeat
  • the Peruvians take the position after several days of combat
Separation of Arauca from Colombia
(1916)
Colombia Republic of Arauca Victory
  • The Colombian government once again takes control of Arauca
Colombia–Peru War
(1932–1933)
Colombia Peru Ceasefire[6]
World War II
(1943–1945)
United States
Soviet Union
United Kingdom
 China
France
Poland
Canada
Australia
New Zealand
 India
 South Africa
 Yugoslavia
 Greece
Denmark
Norway
Netherlands
Belgium
Luxembourg
 Czechoslovakia
Brazil
Mexico
Chile
Bolivia
Colombia
Ecuador
Paraguay
Peru
Venezuela
Uruguay
Argentina
 Germany
 Japan
 Italy
 Hungary
 Romania
 Bulgaria
Croatia
Slovakia
 Finland
 Thailand
 Manchukuo
 Mengjiang
Victory
La Violencia
(1948–1958)
Colombia Colombian Liberal Party and allied militias Stalemate
Korean War
(1950–1953)
South Korea
United States
United Kingdom
Canada
Turkey
Australia
Philippines
New Zealand
Thailand
Ethiopia
Greece
France
Colombia
Belgium
South Africa
Netherlands
Luxembourg
North Korea
China
Soviet Union
Ceasefire
Colombian Conflict
(1964[7][8]–present)
Colombia

Supported by:
Peru
Panama[9]
Mexico
Brazil[10]
Ecuador
United States
Spain[11]
United Kingdom[12]

Colombian drug cartels and paramilitaries

Supported by:
Contras (1979–90)


Mexican drug cartels and paramilitaries


Colombian rebel guerrilla groups

Supported by:
Venezuela[22]
Cuba[23][24]
Belarus[25][26] (from 2008)
Nicaragua (alleged)[27]
Libya (until 2011)[28][29]
Soviet Union
(until 1989)[24]
Albania (financial support; 1960s–1970s)[30]
Cartel of the Suns[31]
FBL[22]
Shining Path (factions)[32][33]
ETA (1964–2018)
PIRA (1969–98)
PKK[34]

Ongoing
Operation Traíra
(1991)
Brazil
Colombia
FARC Victory
  • Successful operation against FARC
Operation Atalanta
(2015)
European Union
Colombia
Pirates Victory
Operation Ocean Shield
(2015)
NATO
Colombia
Japan
Pirates Victory
Catatumbo campaign Colombia

Popular Liberation Army (EPL)


National Liberation Army (ELN)

  • Nororiental de Guerra

Los Rastrojos


FARC dissidents

Ongoing

Footnotes

  1. ^ While Prussia itself was part of the Empire and many HRE states remained neutral, the Imperial Diet formally declared action against Prussia, so it was an Imperial action rather than being conducted solely in the name of Austrian interests. See below.
  2. ^ Until 1762
  3. ^ a b From 1762[1]
  4. ^ From Feb until June 1762[2]

References

  1. ^ Kohn, George C. (2000). Seven Years War in Dictionary of Wars. Facts on File. p. 417. ISBN 978-0-8160-4157-2.
  2. ^ Kohn (2000), p. 417.
  3. ^ "British History in depth: Was the American Revolution Inevitable?". BBC History. Retrieved 21 July 2018. In 1763, Americans joyously celebrated the British victory in the Seven Years' War, revelling in their identity as Britons and jealously guarding their much-celebrated rights which they believed they possessed by virtue of membership in what they saw as the world's greatest empire.
  4. ^ Arana, M., 2013, Bolivar, New York: Simon & Schuster, ISBN 9781439110195, pp. 186
  5. ^ Antonio, Vélez Ocampo. "DEPARTAMENTO DE CALDAS | banrepcultural.org". www.banrepcultural.org (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 2014-11-03. Retrieved 2025-08-01.
  6. ^ "Territorial history of the country". The Espectador.
  7. ^ "Timeline: Colombia's war with the FARC". November 13, 2012.
  8. ^ Bargent, James. "The FARC 1964–2002: From Ragged Rebellion to Military Machine". Archived from the original on September 27, 2016. Retrieved September 27, 2016.
  9. ^ "Panama busts drug ring linked to Colombia's FARC, Mexican cartel". Reuters. December 19, 2014. Archived from the original on December 25, 2015. Retrieved December 19, 2014.
  10. ^ Brooke, James (March 7, 1991). "Operation Traíra". The New York Times.
  11. ^ "España apoyará la lucha de Colombia contra las Farc". caracol.com.co. 19 April 2012. Archived from the original on 12 October 2017. Retrieved 28 June 2017.
  12. ^ "British intelligence members sent to Colombia after IRA suspects arrested". The Irish News. September 17, 2016. Archived from the original on March 20, 2017. Retrieved March 2, 2017.
  13. ^ "Caen los últimos herederos de los rastrojos". semana.com. Archived from the original on 27 July 2017. Retrieved 16 February 2017.
  14. ^ "Conquering Self Defense Forces of the Sierra Nevada (ACSN)". InSight Crime. October 11, 2024. Retrieved March 2, 2025.
  15. ^ "Ex-FARC Mafia". InSight Crime. June 1, 2023. Retrieved June 18, 2023.
  16. ^ "Ex-FARC Mafia: The New Player in Colombian Organized Crime". InSight Crime. March 9, 2018. Retrieved June 18, 2023.
  17. ^ "Alianzas mantienen a "los Urabeños" en regiones". elcolombiano.com. May 6, 2014. Archived from the original on September 18, 2017. Retrieved February 10, 2018.
  18. ^ "El ministro de Defensa aseguró que con este logro se desarticula toda la organización". infobae.com. Archived from the original on 10 February 2018. Retrieved 10 February 2018.
  19. ^ "El ministro de Defensa aseguró que con este logro se desarticula toda la organización". infobae.com. Archived from the original on 10 February 2018. Retrieved 10 February 2018.
  20. ^ "Reuters: The Business of Information". October 18, 1996. Archived from the original on October 18, 1996.
  21. ^ "La disidencia de las FARC llega ya a los 700 combatientes". November 27, 2017. Archived from the original on June 2, 2018. Retrieved June 6, 2018.
  22. ^ a b Hudson, Rex A. (April 1, 2005). Country Profile: Venezuela. Washington, D.C.: Federal Research Division, Library of Congress. p. 28.
  23. ^ "Cuba's Renewed Support for Violence in Latin America" (PDF). United States Department of State, Bureau of Public Affairs. December 14, 1981. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 23, 2017. Retrieved April 1, 2020.
  24. ^ a b Franks, Jeff; Murphy, Helen (September 6, 2020). "Colombia's FARC rebels to ask government for ceasefire". Reuters. Archived from the original on 28 July 2020. Retrieved April 1, 2020.
  25. ^ "Оружейный бизнес Беларуси – легальный и "теневой"". Archived from the original on August 4, 2021. Retrieved August 4, 2021.
  26. ^ "El Pais: Венесуэла с помощью Лукашенко и его приближенных поставляла белорусское оружие колумбийским боевикам". May 13, 2008. Archived from the original on June 8, 2021. Retrieved August 4, 2021.
  27. ^ "Allegations of Venezuela, Nicaragua Complicity in FARC Money Laundering Resurface". September 18, 2017.
  28. ^ "Female Colombian snipers 'fighting to defend Col Gaddafi in Libya'". The Telegraph. April 14, 2011. Archived from the original on January 11, 2022.
  29. ^ "Revealed: Colonel Gaddafi's school for scoundrels". March 15, 2011.
  30. ^ Molla, Ylli (2016). Guerilas made in Albania historia e Arafatit. Botart. ISBN 978-9928-219-00-8.
  31. ^ Padgett, Tim (September 3, 2008). "Chávez and the Cash-Filled Suitcase". TIME. Archived from the original on March 18, 2014. Retrieved March 28, 2014.
  32. ^ "Recent Attack on Peru Police Shows Shining Path Still Strong". September 13, 2017.
  33. ^ "Shining Path". March 27, 2017.
  34. ^ "El PKK saluda a las FARC-EP con motivo de su 50º aniversario". May 31, 2014.