demanding that the National Government attend to the needs of what is
considered by many ‘the Forgotten Department’.
The Chocoanos are angered by the lack of attention given to the infrastructure of the Department, which is predominantly inhabited by Afro-Colombians. Only weeks ago approximately 30 people died when a bus fell of a cliff on the main road between Chocó capital Quibdó and Medellín’s largest city Medellín.
The strike is to last 24 hours, but organizers are not excluding the possibility of an extension if their demands are not met.
The Chocó department is one of the poorest in Colombia and has a relatively high poverty rate compared to other Colombian departments. Chocó is also suffering from a decrease in security due the presence of illegal armed groups that use the department for the production and trafficking of illicit drugs.