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Massacre in northern Colombia was a hoax: Authorities

by | May 6, 2013

A reported FARC massacre in the north of Colombia never took place, but was invented by a local with mental issues, local and national authorities said Sunday.

Authorities had gone to the town of Taraza in the north of Antioquia after a witness, who had said he was able to escape the mass killing, alerted local authorities and media about the now-denied massacre.

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The mother of the self-proclaimed witness told the Governor’s Office and police her son was suffering mental issues and that the alleged victims of the massacre never existed or had long died.

Following the mother’s interference, both the police and Antioquia governor Santiago Londoño publicly announced the massacre was a hoax.

The area around Taraza has traditionally one of the FARC’s hotbeds and close to major coca cultivation fields.

Taraza, Antioquia

Sources