A highly controversial statement by the United Nations Committee on Enforced Disappearances has ignited outrage in Colombia, following allegations that “20,000 unidentified bodies are stored in a hangar at Bogotá’s El Dorado International Airport.”
The claim, made during a press conference at the conclusion of a two-week mission to Colombia, prompted swift and forceful responses from Colombian officials, including Bogotá Mayor Carlos Fernando Galán. “We need the United Nations to present the basis for such a serious allegation. This is a very grave matter,” Galán said, emphasizing that no evidence or prior indications support the existence of such a hangar.
Colombian authorities — including the Prosecutor’s Office, the National Institute of Legal Medicine, and the airport operator Opain — immediately launched an investigation. A four-hour inspection of the airport’s 27 hangars on Thursday found no evidence to substantiate the UN’s claims. “We are not aware of the existence of such a hangar and have not received any requests from any agency for the study or analysis of such cases,” stated the Institute of Legal Medicine. Opain also demanded all government authorities resolve the matter swiftly.
The UN’s preliminary findings presented a grim picture of enforced disappearances in Colombia, which the Committee described as “not a crime of the past.” The report highlighted ongoing cases tied to armed conflict, human trafficking, land disputes, and social protests, with estimates of missing persons ranging from 98,000 to 200,000. Juan Pablo Albán, one of the Committee’s experts, said, “The people we interviewed conveyed the image of a society overwhelmed by the phenomenon of disappearances, which continue to occur daily throughout the national territory.”
However, the assertion concerning El Dorado Airport has dominated headlines. “Thousands of unidentified corpses lie in cemeteries or poorly managed warehouses, such as a hangar at Bogotá airport, where some 20,000 unidentified bodies are currently stored,” the UN report stated.
If accurate, the figure would represent 16% of Colombia’s officially missing persons — a number that appears most implausible. Prosecutor Javier Sarmiento stressed the need for immediate verification, underscoring the seriousness of the allegation.
The UN’s broader findings also pointed to systemic challenges in addressing enforced disappearances, including underreporting, weak institutional coordination, and impunity rates as high as 98%. “Colombia lacks a comprehensive public policy to prevent enforced disappearances,” the report stated, adding that existing measures fail to address the root causes of these crimes.
As the controversy grows, Mayor Galán reiterated the potential harm of unsubstantiated allegations. “The seriousness of the UN’s claim cannot be understated. If this allegation is baseless, it risks undermining trust in international bodies and detracting from the real work of addressing enforced disappearances in Colombia.” The former journalist and current mayor has demanded “verifiable proof” from the UN “if it wishes to make claims of this nature.” Galán also highlighted the potential damage such accusations could inflict on the reputation of Colombia’s capital.
The full report from the commission is expected in April 2025, leaving Colombian officials awaiting further clarification. On Friday, the Colombian government agency in charge of locating missing persons, the Unidad de Busqueda de Personas Desaparecidas (UBPD), announced that they had no information regarding a mass grave within the airport grounds, raising concerns that such dramatic assertions could overshadow the ongoing search of enforced disappearances in the country.
