The Ombudsman of the Choco department is investigating claims that
forty innocent civilians were forced to join the massive demobilization
of members of drug gang ‘Los
Rastrojos‘ last week.
Chocó locals told the Regional Ombudsman that the demobilizing drug gang members forced 42 peasants from a village nearby Nuqui to join them in the massive demobilization.
“The inhabitants of the village indicated that of the 112 persons who demobilized, there are 42 people from the village who have nothing to do with the issue, that some of them were pressured and others were misled. They want us to help them return to their lands,” Ombudsman Volmar Perez told W Radio.
According to the regional Ombudsman’s office, locals say that seventy members of ‘Los Rastrojos’ arrived in the village of Partado two days before the demobilization. After intimidating the locals, some forty young men, including minors, were selected. Shortly after, military helicopters appeared and moved the peasants to a nearby army base.
Perez, said he would investigate the situation to ascertain the validity of the claim.
‘Los Rastrojos’ is one of the drug gangs operating in the south west of Colombia. The massive demobilization of 112 members of them made it to the international press.