With shovels and machetes, communities along the Arquía River, in Vigía del Fuerte, Antioquia, are working together to restore an ancestral road.
The boat waits at the port of Quibdó, ready to set off. Around it, other small vessels jostle for space, loading and unloading passengers, while the team of the United Nations Verification Mission in Colombia prepares to depart toward the municipality of Vigía del Fuerte, along the Antioquia stretch of the Atrato River. Pastor, a man who knows every twist and turn of the river, takes one last look to make sure everything is in order before heading out. The four-hour journey reveals a world of its own: stilt houses, fishermen greeting the dawn, crops hidden deep within the foliage, and children and elders waving from the riverbanks to passing travelers. Along the river, greeting is more than mere courtesy, it is a gesture of recognition among those who share these waters as both path and destination.
In Tagachí, a small settlement outside Quibdó, the vast Atrato River gives way to the Arquía—a narrower, greener waterway whose calm surface mirrors the trees lining its eroding banks. The United Nations field officers transfer to Carlos’ boat. He is well known for his kindness and ever-present smile. The hour-and-a-half journey leads to Vegáez, one of the most remote settlements in Antioquia, now the scene of a story of memory and reconciliation made possible by the Peace Agreement.
In Vegáez, under a scorching sun, men, women, and young people raise their shovels, spreading sand and stones over a trail that cuts through the forest. They work with cargo tricycles provided by the Agency for Reincorporation and Normalization (ARN), which has been present in the area thanks to the 2016 Peace Agreement between the Government and the FARC-EP, supporting the peace signatories who are taking part in the construction work.
The work in this settlement of Vigía del Fuerte unfolds as a kind of community minga, a collective endeavor that brings together community leaders, students, and peace signatories with a shared purpose: to restore an ancestral road that connects them to the settlement of Vidrí. Surrounded by rivers and mountains, Vegáez remains largely isolated, especially during the dry months, when the Arquía River runs low and travel by water becomes difficult. At such times, which are not uncommon, this road becomes vital.
The scars of conflict
The Arquía River has long borne witness to the deep scars left by Colombia’s armed conflict. For years, the area was affected by the presence of various illegal armed actors, which severely affected the Afro-descendant and Indigenous communities, restricting their mobility, access to livelihoods, and the safety of their territories.
Following the signing of the Peace Agreement in 2016, change has begun to take root, although significant challenges remain. The Territorial Area for Training and Reintegration (TATR) of Vidrí was established as a model for the transition of 480 former FARC-EP members from armed life to civilian life. However, the TATR closed in 2018, leading many former combatants to relocate to nearby towns and rural areas. Faced with this new reality, some chose to remain along the Arquía River: a few in Vidrí, others in Vegáez or neighboring communities. Today, they work together on agricultural and community projects that embody resilience and reconciliation, including the restoration of the ancestral road.
All hands on deck
In the main square of Vegáez, the community welcomes the visitors with visible relief and joy. There is no time to lose. Men, women, elders, and children quickly take on different tasks to restore the road. Some load the cargo tricycles; others unload and spread the gravel along the path. As Willington, a young participant, says with pride, sweat running down his face: “This road benefits us all. It means a future for our community.”
The convite, or minga, is not only a form of collective work but also a symbol of unity, solidarity, and hope. Women prepare traditional sancocho and beverages to keep everyone going throughout the day. Of the road’s five kilometers, about 1.6 have already been restored. The community insists that progress could be much faster with stronger institutional support.
Among those leading the work is Johan Perea, a former FARC-EP combatant and representative of the Menor de Vegáez Community Council. His leadership has been key to keeping the project moving forward. Today, beyond his role in the community, he is part of the Unit for the Implementation of the Final Peace Agreement in Chocó and participates in the Special Harmonization Program of the Ethnic Chapter. “Here, peace is built with everyone’s hands,” he says, pointing to the new community house—two concrete stories that will host meetings, wakes, and offer accommodation for visitors and students. His story reflects the transformation of many peace signatories: they are no longer combatants, but leaders who build, who engage in dialogue, and who work for territories that have long been neglected.
The ethnic NRA
One of the most significant achievements in the region has been the creation of the New Reincorporation Area (NAR) known as the Vidrí Ethnic NRA. This is a space for reintegration with a differential approach that draws on the cultural and organizational practices of Afro-descendant and Indigenous communities. Led by former combatants and supported by the United Nations Verification Mission in Colombia, the initiative has helped preserve community cohesion and strengthen leadership around peace.
In 2023, during the Fifth National Reincorporation Meeting, the importance of the Ethnic New Reincorporation Areas (NARs) was recognized as a response to the dispersion of former combatants following the closure of the Vidrí Territorial Area for Training and Reintegration (TATR). A month later, around 50 former combatants from Vigía del Fuerte and Bojayá gathered in Vegáez, joined by the United Nations Verification Mission in Colombia, to establish what would become the Vidrí Ethnic NAR. That momentum was strengthened in May 2024, during the National Assembly of Ethnic Signatories Building Peace, held in Carmen del Darién, Chocó, where the National Association of Ethnic Signatories (ANFECP) was founded. Today, it brings together more than 1,250 former combatants from Afro-Colombian, Indigenous, Palenquero, Raizal, and Rrom communities. These collective spaces have been instrumental in fostering joint work among State institutions, Peace Agreement implementation bodies, and ethnic organizations, while reinforcing community cohesion and a shared commitment to reconciliation.
Guided by organized local leaders, the community has undertaken several projects, including the restoration of this ancestral road, which serves not only for transporting goods and agricultural products, but also as a lifeline for education and opportunity. For 23 students who walk nearly an hour each day from Vidrí to attend school in Vegáez, this road makes the difference between continuing their secondary education or dropping out. Yurledys is one of them. Laughing beneath the blazing sun, she explains that the trail is essential for her and for many others who dream of finishing their studies. Beside her, a boy adds: “Snakes can be dangerous when the brush grows tall, but as long as we keep the path clear, its much safer.”
The impact extends to all six community councils along the Arquía River: Vegáez, Belén, Isleta, Vidrí, Puerto Medellín, and Puerto Palacio, all of which actively take part in the convites, or community mingas, demonstrating that this road is truly a collective achievement.
A community that dreams
As the sun sets, the people of Vegáez raise their voices once more, calling for greater support from the State, the private sector, and society at large to complete the road. Across from the park, a plaque engraved with the names of victims of the conflict serves as a reminder that peace in Vegáez is not taken for granted—it is built through remembrance and collective work.
Vegáez is not just a remote village tucked amid mountains and forests; it is a place of memory and hope. A territory that stands resilient in community, dreaming of clean energy, passable roads, and reconciliation as its banner. There, every shovel lifted under the sun is also an act of peace.
By: Melissa Jaimes
Public Information Officer, Quibdó Regional
UN Verification Mission in Colombia
