Cajibío, Cauca. The Association of Indigenous Councils of Northern Cauca (Acin) has reported renewed clashes between armed groups in an area of the municipality of Cajibío (Cauca).
At the moment it is not clear who the actors in the confrontation on January 9th were. According to the Acin communiqué, “while there are no known fatalities or injuries, the children, teenagers and older adults are suffering the psychological impact and fear due to the strong presence of the armed men of the Dagoberto Ramos Front.” This is the structure of the Central General Staff (EMC-Farc), a dissident organization of the guerrilla Farc-EP, which demobilized in 2017.
Like the blog Colombiainfo reported, there are currently fighting in the Cauca between the Dagoberto Ramos Front and the ELN guerrillas, as well as between the two dissident factions of the FARC-EP, Second Marquetalia and EMC. The latter dominated the region. The ceasefire between the government and the EMC is being used by other armed actors such as the ELN or Second Marquetalia to dispute territory. In addition, state security forces were deployed there and were attacked by the EMC. There are repeated attempts to bring the region under army control.
The Acin also emphasizes that it has repeatedly insisted on creating a space for dialogue for peace in the northern part of the Cauca. “This would be possible if the armed actors present in the territory see the point in abandoning armed violence as a strategy of terror and control of illicit revenues, and if the national government and society in general commit to this “to implement an alternative approach to the problem of the illegalized economy”.
Last week, the association also denounced the assassination of the indigenous leader Alex Calambas Chocué in the municipality of Morales (Cauca) by the “Jaime Martínez Column” of FARC dissidents.
Calambas was kidnapped during a conversation on the village street, later tortured and brutally murdered. His body was found in the Morales area, they reported in a public statement. The dissidents entered a cultural event in the community of the village of Mesón a few hours before the murder and “intimidated the participants and clearly threatened anyone who disagreed with the control of the event.”
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These events are taking place despite the ceasefire between the government and EMC-FARC that has existed since October 15, 2023. This was supposed to expire on January 15th, but has now been extended until July 15th this year extended. The third cycle of peace negotiations began last Friday.
The ombudsman’s office reported a 16 percent decrease in murders of leading social figures in 2023 compared to the previous year. The number of murders this year was still 181.
Cauca is the department with the highest number of such cases, with 36 cases, followed by Antioquia with 21 and Nariño with 17 cases. The main victims were community organizations and the indigenous population.
Between December 16 and 23, 17 people were killed in Cauca, most of them indigenous and peasant leaders. In view of this, social organizations have announced their own countermeasures (America21 reported).
According to the non-governmental organization Indepaz, five social leaders have already been murdered in 2024.