The Road Back from the Guerrilla

Photographer

John Terje Pedersen

Category

Editorial Photography - Documentary

Company

Submission Group

Professional

Year

2026

Country / Region:

Norway

"Maria" (19) was recruited into the guerrilla group Frente 33 after following her boyfriend into the guerrilla movement. Her family lived in the Catatumbo region of Colombia, an area marked by violence, fear, and conflict between armed groups. When her mother, "Luisa", discovered where her daughter was, she went to the guerrillas to bring her home, but was told that she could not take her with her. After several months of struggle, and with help from the organization Mothers from Catatumbo, Maria returned to her family on the outskirts of the border city of Cúcuta, where they had fled from the war in Catatumbo.