Andres Santamaria, ombudsman of Colombia’s third largest city, Cali, and president of the Colombian association of ombudsmen said the problem was especially troubling in the south of the country, in addition to the western Choco department, the northwestern Antioquia department and the Atlantic coast.
Santamaria said common criminals, drug traffickers, criminal groups and guerrillas were behind many of the threats. Ombudsmen were also threatened for reporting cases of corruption.
According to Santamaria, Colombia’s interior ministry and the national police had programs of help and support for public functionaries under threat, but these did not always reach peripheral parts of the country due to lack of effective policing and logistics.