President Gustavo Petro has named an Indigenous leader to head Colombia’s Ministry of Equality, a decision that has quickly stirred controversy. The appointment, announced this week, places longtime activist Luis Alfredo Acosta Zapata at the helm of one of the government’s most fragile and disputed portfolios.
Indeed, the Ministry of Equality itself hangs in the balance. Colombia’s Constitutional Court of Colombia has annulled the law that created the ministry, citing procedural flaws, while granting the government temporary leeway to seek congressional approval for a replacement bill.
Indigenous leader Luis Alfredo Acosta is Petro’s new Minister of Equality in Colombia
Acosta’s designation has drawn immediate criticism regarding his background and the timing of the move. Detractors argue that his career in social activism does not equip him to manage a ministry with a national budget and broad policy mandate. Others note that the Constitutional Court has already moved to strike down the law that created the ministry, raising doubts about whether the post will survive beyond the coming months.
Representative Katherine Miranda from the left-wing Green Alliance questioned the appointment on X, saying: “Mr. Alfredo Acosta has only completed high school. He has no technical or university studies and no experience in the public sector. The Ministry of Equality is not symbolic. It manages public resources and makes decisions that affect millions of Colombians.” In a second post, she added: “A ministry cannot be improvised. This is not inclusion; it is contempt for merit and a weakening of the State.”
Mi nuevo ministro de la igualdad. pic.twitter.com/2f3FXjHKd6
— Gustavo Petro (@petrogustavo) January 22, 2026
Critics emphasize that Acosta has never held a post in public administration and has no experience overseeing state budgets or implementing government programs. According to official documents released by the presidency, his formal education extends only to a high school diploma completed in 1995. From 2011 until mid-2025, his professional experience was limited to leadership roles within ONIC, with no record of public-sector responsibilities.
Created in August 2022 under President Gustavo Petro, Colombia’s Ministry of Equality and Equity has had a short but turbulent history, marked by rapid leadership changes and persistent political controversy.
Created to design and execute policies aimed at reducing social gaps and improving conditions for historically marginalized populations, the ministry was initially led by Vice President Francia Marquez, who became its first minister and framed the portfolio as a cornerstone of Petro’s social agenda, focused on addressing structural inequality affecting women, ethnic minorities and marginalized communities.
After 10 months, she was succeeded by Carlos Rosero, an Afro Colombian leader who emphasized ethnic and racial equity but struggled to consolidate the ministry’s institutional structure. In mid-2025, the post was taken over by activist Juan Carlos Florian. Surrounded by controversies, he eventually resigned earlier this month.
Beyond critics, who is Acosta?
Acosta is a member of the Nasa Indigenous people from the southwestern department of Cauca and has been a prominent figure in Colombia’s Indigenous movement for more than a decade. He is best known as a former national coordinator of the Organizacion Nacional Indigena de Colombia (ONIC) and as a leader of the Indigenous Guard, a community-based, unarmed force recognized by the state for territorial protection. His work has been rooted almost entirely in grassroots organizing, protest leadership and community education.
He is the son of two Nasa leaders: his mother served as governor of the Huellas Indigenous reserve in Caloto, while his father helped found the Regional Indigenous Council of Cauca and later disappeared during the armed conflict in the 1980s. Acosta himself worked as a teacher for years, helping lay the foundations of Indigenous education models, before fully committing to the Indigenous Guard in 2001 amid escalating violence in Cauca.
He has also been a visible face of Indigenous mobilization. Acosta played a leading role in large-scale protests, including a 2019 blockade of the Pan-American Highway and a 2020 march that brought thousands of Indigenous protesters to Bogota to demand dialogue with then-President Ivan Duque. Supporters say those actions reflect his commitment to defending Indigenous rights and pressing the state to honor long-standing agreements.
The appointment also revived a video recorded in 2012 that circulated widely on social media after Acosta’s resume was published. In the footage, originally posted by local outlet Nariño Noticias, Acosta is seen confronting soldiers during a clash between the Indigenous Guard and the Army, telling one of them: “Aren’t you ashamed of shooting at innocent people? Aren’t you ashamed of defending territory that does not belong to you?” The clip shows Indigenous protesters surrounding soldiers who were seated on the ground; some were pushed and struck. According to local media, the soldiers fired shots into the air to disperse the crowd, and no injuries were reported.