“The latest forced mass displacements in Nariño and Catatumbo reflect the ongoing human rights crisis in Colombia. State authorities cannot continue to ignore the main victims: Indigenous Peoples and Afro-descendant communities" said Erika Guevara-Rosas, Americas Director at Amnesty International
In the face of the forced displacement of more than 430 Afro-descendant people from the municipality of Roberto Payán in Nariño in the past few days and more than 16,000 people in the Catatumbo region since March, due to clashes between armed groups such as the People’s Liberation Army and the National Liberation Army, paramilitary groups, FARC-EP dissidents and state security forces, Erika Guevara-Rosas, Americas Director at Amnesty International, said:
“The latest forced mass displacements in Nariño and Catatumbo reflect the ongoing human rights crisis in Colombia. State authorities cannot continue to ignore the main victims: Indigenous Peoples and Afro-descendant communities.”
“These recent displacements are yet further proof of the state abandonment and slow implementation of the Peace Agreement – in particular in terms of security assurances and the voluntary replacement of illegal crops – in the areas hit hardest by years of armed conflict. It is unacceptable that the communities who have historically suffered the most in the conflict continue to be victimized by the government’s apathy.”
Additional information:
Colombia: Indigenous people threatened and displaced (Campaigns, 11 June 2018)
The Colombian state must address the structural causes of violence (News, 29 May 2018)
Colombia: Authorities must protect Indigenous Yukpa People facing forced displacement (News, 23 May 2018)
