Discovering What Is Already Known: The Afro-Colombian Ancestral Justice System before the Special Jurisdiction for Peace

For decades, Afro-Colombians have been ignored by Colombian society and its legal system. While the Colombian Constitution recognized the indigenous special jurisdiction, Afro-Colombian ancestral and traditional systems of justice were never acknowledged. The latter were further weakened by the armed internal conflict the country endured for more than half a century. In 2016, the Final Peace Agreement was signed and Colombia undertook its transitional justice process. This led for the first time to the recognition of the Afro-Colombian justice system as part of a transitional justice process. In conversation with an Afro-Colombian community leader of the Association of Community Councils of Norte Del Cauca, this article discusses the innovative interjurisdictional and intercultural mechanisms that have been designed by the Special Jurisdiction for Peace to interact with Afro-Colombians. It explores the implications of these legal developments for transitional justice in Colombia and beyond.