In the Cañón del Micay, soldiers battle guerrillas while families plant coca to survive. Promised schools and payments to switch crops have stalled, and with U.S. aid under review, Colombia’s flagship experiment in peace and development hangs by a thread. Here, the Estado Mayor Central (EMC), a dissident faction that broke from the 2016 peace deal, acts as judge and mayor. Rivera, who has watched governments come and go, told Reuters that she once believed Petro’s plan might finally change things. If the state cannot deliver real infrastructure—paved roads, clean water, reliable electricity—the villagers’ machetes will keep harvesting coca.