2020 in Colombia

See also: 2021 in South America and 2021 in the Caribbean

← 2019 2018 2017 2020 in Colombia → 2021 2022 2023
Decades:	2000s 2010s 2020s
See also:	Other events of 2020 Timeline of Colombian history

Events in the year 2020 in Colombia .

Incumbents

• President: Iván Duque Márquez
• Vice President: Marta Lucía Ramírez

Events

• April 29
  • 500 Venezuela migrants living in Colombia block a highway in protest of the lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Colombia. They say the makes it impossible for them to work. There are 1.8 million Venezuelan migrants living in Colombia. ^[1]
  • Two dozen Colombians deported from the United States have been found to have coronavirus. ^[2]
• May 7 – Colombia legally exports marijuana seeds to Colorado, the United States. ^[3]
• May 20 – COVID-19 pandemic in Colombia: Colombia reports a record of 752 new cases of the infection in one day, bringing the total to 17,787 with 630 deaths. Most of the cases are in Cartagena de Indias. ^[4]
• May 24 – Two men on the radio program ‘Buenas Tardes con Fabio’ in Valledupar, Cesar Department joke about human trafficking and sexual slavery and may be prosecuted. ^[5]
• May 27 – The United States Army sends a Security Force Assistance Brigade unit to Colombia to train anti-drug forces for a period of four months. ^[6]
• June 4 – Indignation across social media due to the police beating to death of Anderson Arboleda, 21, for not wearing a facemask during the COVID-19 pandemic in Puerto Tejada, Cauca on May 19. His case is being compared to that of George Floyd in the United States. ^[7]
• June 9 – A soldier, Ángel Zúñiga Galicia, removes his uniform and puts down his gun in refusal of an order to remove peasants from their home in Pance, Valle del Cauca Department. ^[8]
• June 25 – Seven soldiers confess to raping a 12-year-old girl from the Embera Katio indigenous group, in the northwestern Risaralda Department. ^[9]
• August 11 – COVID-19 pandemic: There are more than 400,000 confirmed cases and 13,500 deaths. ^[10]
• August 14 – The bodies of four coal miners are found after a cave-in sevendays ago in Sogamoso, Boyacá Department. ^[11]
• August 20 – Colombia requests the extradition of drug lord and paramilitary warlord Salvatore Mancuso, 56, on fears that he may be deported to Italy and released. Mancuso has been convicted over 1,000 murders and other crimes. ^[12]
• August 21 – Two thousand indigenous Arhuaco protest against armed groups who are seizing land in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta. ^[13]
• August 22 – Six young people are murdered in Tumaco, Nariño Department. This is the fourth massacre this week. ^[14]
• August 24 – Three miners are rescued after being trapped for five days by a cave-in in Lenguazaque, Cundinamarca Department. ^[15]
• August 25 – The Climate Green Fund of the United Nations donates US$28 million to prevent deforestation in the Amazon rainforest. ^[16]
• August 30 – COVID-19 pandemic: The number of cases passes 600,000. ^[17]
• September 4 – Opening of La Línea road tunnel. ^[18]
• September 9 – Protests following the death of Javier Ordóñez, 42, at the hands of police leave seven dead and 140 injured in Bogota and Soacha. ^[19]
• September 11 – Protests against police brutality leave ten dead, 209 civilians injured, 194 police injured, and 17 police kiosks burned in Bogotá, Medellín, Cali, and Manizales. ^[20]
• September 16 – A statue of Spanish conquistador Sebastián de Belalcázar is torn down by indigenous Misak in Popayán, Cauca Department in protest of 500 years of slavery and oppression. ^[21]
• November 15 – COVID-19 pandemic: Colombia reports 1,191,634 positive cases, ninth highest number in the world. ^[22]
• December 15 – The United Nations Office of the Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), reported it recorded the deaths of 255 people in 66 massacres in 2020, as well as the killing of 120 human rights defenders. ^[23]
• 30 December – The government reports the manual elimination of 130,000 hectares (320,000 acres) of coca crops, the largest figure in a decade. ^[24]

Sports

See also: Impact of the 2019–20 coronavirus pandemic on sports

Culture

• January 7 – The telenovela Amar y vivir premiers on Colombian television. ^[25]

Deaths

Carlos Cuco Rojas

Efraín Sánchez

January to March

• 10 January – Carlos Cuco Rojas, harpist (b. 1954) ^[26]
• 16 January – Efraín Sánchez, footballer (b, 1926) ^[27]
• 6 February – Jhon Jairo Velásquez, 57, hitman, drug dealer and extortionist (Medellín Cartel); esophageal cancer ^[28]
• 26 February 26 – Clementina Vélez, 73, doctor, academic and politician, MP (1990–1991, 1998–2002) and city councillor of Cali (1972–1986, 1992–1997, 2004–2019); heart attack ^[29]
• 27 February – Juan Diego González, 39, soccer player (Once Caldas, La Equidad, Philadelphia Union) ^[30] (body discovered on this date)

April to June

• 4 May – Álvaro Teherán, 54, basketball player (Baloncesto Málaga, Fort Wayne Fury, KK Olimpija); kidney failure ^[31]

July to September

• 5 July – Alexander Balanta, 42, footballer; COVID-19. ^[32]
• 24 July – El indio Rómulo  [ es ], 89, poet; COVID-19. ^[33]
• 15 August – Mercedes Barcha, 87, widow of writer Gabriel García Marquez, dies in Mexico City. ^[34]
• 17 August – Massacre of Samaniego in Samaniego, Nariño ^[14]
  • Brayan Cuaran
  • Bairón Patiño
  • Elian Benavides
  • Daniel Vargas
  • Laura Riascos
  • Joan Quintero
  • Rubén Ibarra
  • Óscar Obando
• 21 August – Antonio Bayter Abud, 86, Roman Catholic prelate, Vicar Apostolic of Inírida (1996–2013). ^[35]
• 7 September – Aurelio Iragorri Hormaza, 83, politician, Senator (1991–2014), Governor of Cauca (1975–1976) and President of the Chamber of Representatives (1981–1982). ^[36]
• 15 September – Rafael Uribe Ochoa  [ es ], 59, actor ( Punto y Raya , Cyrano Fernández ). ^[37]
• 17 September – Ricardo Ciciliano, 43, footballer (Deportes Tolima, Millonarios, Juan Aurich); pneumonia. ^[38]
• 25 September – José María Ramos, 71, accordionist ^[39]

October to December

• 16 October – Joaquín Pardo, 74, Olympic footballer (1968). ^[40]
• 31 October – Horacio Serpa, 77, politician, Minister of Interior (1994–1997), Senator (1985–1988, 2014–2018) and Governor of Santander (2008–2012). ^[41]
• 7 November – Roberto Reyes Toledo  [ es ], 71, actor and stage and film director. ^[42]
• 20 November – Romualdo Brito  [ es ], 67, vallenato musician and composer; traffic collision. ^[43]

See also

• 2020 in the Caribbean
• 2020 in Central America
• COVID-19 pandemic in Colombia
• 2020 in politics and government
• 2020s
• 2020s in political history
• List of George Floyd protests outside the United States

References

1. "Venezuelan migrants block Bogota road, demand ability to travel home". news.yahoo.com. Retrieved Apr 29, 2020.
2. "Two dozen people deported to Colombia on U.S. flight found to have coronavirus: sources". news.yahoo.com. Retrieved Apr 30, 2020.
3. de 2020, Por Jorge Cantillo7 de Mayo. "Por primera vez Colombia exportará marihuana legal a Estados Unidos". infobae (in European Spanish). Retrieved May 9, 2020.
4. "Colombia registró récord de 752 casos diarios de coronavirus". infobae (in European Spanish). Retrieved May 25, 2020.
5. de 2020, Por Jorge Cantillo25 de Mayo. "Indignación en Colombia: un locutor de radio y un supuesto líder indígena bromearon sobre la compra de una niña aborigen como esclava sexual". infobae (in European Spanish). Retrieved May 25, 2020.
6. "U.S. unit to arrive in Colombia to help fight drug trafficking". news.yahoo.com. Retrieved May 29, 2020.
7. Jorge Cantillo (June 4, 2020). "Indignación en Colombia por un caso similar al de George Floyd: un joven negro murió tras una golpiza policial". infobae (in European Spanish). Retrieved June 8, 2020.
8. "Policía se quita el uniforme y da su arma cuando le ordenan que desalojar a campesinos". wapa.pe. wapa. Retrieved June 13, 2020.
9. Pozzebon, Stefano; Arias, Tatiana (27 June 2020). "Colombian soldiers confess to sexually abusing indigenous girl, says Attorney General". CNN. Retrieved June 27, 2020.
10. "Colombia supera 400 mil casos de covid, muertes rondan 13 mil 500". Excélsior (in Spanish). 12 August 2020. Retrieved August 16, 2020.
11. Castillo, Jorge (August 14, 2020). "Triste final para una búsqueda: hallaron los cuerpos de los 4 mineros que habían quedado atrapados en Colombia". infobae (in European Spanish). Retrieved August 25, 2020.
12. Parkin Daniels, Joe. "Colombia calls on US to extradite warlord over fears he will escape justice". news.yahoo.com. The Guardian. Retrieved August 21, 2020.
13. de 2020, Por Jorge Cantillo25 de Agosto. "Indígenas colombianos denunciaron incursión de grupos ilegales en sus territorios". infobae (in European Spanish). Retrieved August 25, 2020.
14. "Violencia en Colombia: seis jóvenes fueron asesinados en otra masacre y ya son 27 las víctimas en menos de dos semanas". infobae (in European Spanish). Retrieved August 25, 2020.
15. Castillo, Jorge (August 24, 2020). "El emotivo rescate de tres mineros tras 5 días atrapados bajo tierra". infobae (in European Spanish). Retrieved August 25, 2020.
16. Aguirre FES ACATLÁN, Jalil. "Donan 28 millones de dólares para luchar contra la deforestación en Colombia". www.msn.com. 24 Horas. Retrieved August 25, 2020.
17. "Colombia sobrepasa 600.000 casos de coronavirus con 8.024 nuevos contagios". www.msn.com. EFE. Retrieved August 30, 2020.
18. Daniel Pardo (2020-09-04), "Túnel de la Línea: por qué Colombia se demoró 100 años en construir su obra más importante (y qué beneficios traerá su inauguración)" [The Linea Tunnel: why it took Colombia 100 years to build its most important project (and what benefits its opening will bring)], BBC Mundo (in Spanish), retrieved 2025-03-17
19. "Disturbios en Colombia: al menos siete muertos y 140 heridos en medio de las protestas contra el abuso policial". infobae (in European Spanish). September 9, 2020. Retrieved September 10, 2020.
20. Parkin Daniels, joe (September 11, 2020). "Colombia protests against police brutality leave at least 10 dead". news.yahoo.com. Bogotá: The Guardian. Retrieved Sep 13, 2020.
21. "Indígenas tumbaron la estatua del conquistador español Sebastián de Belalcázar en el suroeste de Colombia". infobae (in European Spanish). September 16, 2020. Retrieved Sep 17, 2020.
22. "México se convirtió en el cuarto país latinoamericano en acumular un millón de contagios COVID-19". infobae (in European Spanish). November 15, 2020. Retrieved November 15, 2020.
23. "UN documents 375 killings in Colombia in 2020, urges Government action". UN News. 2020-12-15. Retrieved 2021-01-17.
24. "Government: Colombia manual coca eradication most in decade". AP NEWS. 31 December 2020. Retrieved January 2, 2021.
25. "¡De estreno! Amar y vivir, la historia que quiere robarse el corazón de los colombianos". bluradio.com (in Spanish). 7 January 2020. Retrieved 23 January 2020.
26. "Murió el arpista Carlos "Cuco" Rojas, director de Cimarrón". elcolombiano.com (in Spanish). 10 January 2020. Retrieved 23 January 2020.
27. "Muere a los 93 años 'el Caimán' Sánchez, leyenda del arco de la Selección Colombia". pulzo.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 23 January 2020.
28. Décès de Jhon Jairo Velásquez, alias «Popeye», tueur à gages le plus célèbre de Pablo Escobar (in French)
29. Falleció Clementina Vélez, reconocida exconcejal de Cali (in Spanish)
30. Former Philadelphia Union player brutally killed in Colombia, police say
31. Falleció Álvaro Teherán, leyenda del baloncesto colombiano Archived 2020-05-05 at the Wayback Machine (in Spanish)
32. Muere por coronavirus exfutbolista Alexander Balanta (in Spanish)
33. Falleció el Indio Rómulo, uno de los mejores declamadores del país (in Spanish)
34. Osorio, Camila (15 August 2020). "Muere Mercedes Barcha, la mujer que hizo posible el éxito de García Márquez". EL PAÍS (in Spanish). Retrieved August 16, 2020.
35. Bishop Antonio Bayter Abud, M.X.Y. †
36. Falleció expresidente del Congreso Aurelio Iragorri Hormaza (in Spanish)
37. Actor Rafael Uribe Ochoa murió tras permanecer varios días en cuidados intensivos (in Spanish)
38. Falleció Ricardo Ciciliano tras luchar contra una neumonía (in Spanish)
39. Liliana Martínez Polo (2020-09-25), "Falleció el rey vallenato 1977, José María 'Chema' Ramos" [The 1977 vallenato king, José María 'Chema' Ramos, has died], El Tiempo (in Spanish), retrieved 2025-06-16
40. Joaquín Pardo
41. Falleció a los 77 años el excandidato a la presidencia Horacio Serpa (in Spanish)
42. Falleció el director, actor y guionista colombiano Roberto Reyes (in Spanish)
43. En accidente de tránsito murió Romualdo Brito, ídolo del vallenato (in Spanish)