Almost 700 indigenous victims of Colombia’s armed conflict left the capital Bogota on Sunday to return to their lands in the west of the country.
The trip from Bogota to indigenous territories in Risaralda and Choco is part of a major project that seeks to reestablish the rights of the refugees who spent 11 months in Bogota’s National Park.
“This is a historic day. It will be a return with dignified guarantees,” said Lilia Solano, the director of the Victims Unit.
This was confirmed by one of the displaced indigenous’ leaders, Miguel Angel Sintua, who told newspaper El Espectador that “the entities have, until now, been competent.”
In total, 684 of the stranded victims returned to their lands on the border of Risaralda and Choco.
Another 140 people agreed to seek temporary refuge in shelters in Bogota while the government agency in charge of distributing confiscated mafia assets provides them with land to resettle.
Only 30 of the refugees decided to stay in the capital on their own account.
The operation sought to prevent the repetition of the indigenous failed return in 2021 and was a joint operation of the Victims Unit, Bogota’s Social Integration Secretary, and the ministries of Interior, Housing, Culture and Education.
“The Nation’s commitments have to do with housing, education, health, productive projects and agriculture. The Bogota Mayor’s Office is committed to some phases of the return and to the welfare of the Embera people as a whole,” said Solano.
Whether the returned refugees will be able to remain on their ancestral lands depends in part on the armed conflict between paramilitary group EGC and guerrilla group ELN, which has triggered multiple mass displacements from western Colombia in the past few years.
Talks between the government and the illegal armed groups that seek their dismantling have been hampered by difficulties and have yet to result in a clear reduction in violence in western Colombia.