A young indigenous girl has been murdered and her sister gone missing in western Colombia, nine days after a pamphlet circulated declaring war on 26 indigenous community leaders in the region.
The body of a 22-year-old indigenous woman was found with signs of torture in the southwestern state of Cauca, where two weeks ago FARC guerrillas murdered two indigenous guards. The young woman’s sister has been missing since Tuesday, and local officials are searching for her.
“The situation is especially tense since the community of northern Cauca is being victimized,” Feliciano Valencia, leader of the Association of Councils of Northern Cauca, told El Tiempo newspaper.
Only five days ago, the FARC issued an apology for the murder of two indigenous civilians in Toribio, a predominantly indigenous municipality in the southwestern Cauca state, saying that “our fight has never been and never will be against the indigenous and social movements.”
MORE: FARC ‘profoundly regrets’ killing southwest Colombia indigenous guards
On November 10, a pamphlet signed by the FARC circulated in Cauca naming 26 indigenous leaders as “military targets,” promising a “plan of war” to be carried out in the following 48 hours. The FARC have denied authoring the flyer.
The recent murder of two indigenous guards and capture of an army general have contributed to growing dissatisfaction with the peace negotiations between the government and rebel group FARC, on the eve of the two year anniversary of negotiations. The president suspended the peace talks on Sunday, pending the release of five captives by FARC.
Sources
- Indígenas del Cauca investigan muerte y desaparición de miembros de su comunidad (Blu Radio)
- Asesinan a joven indígena y raptan a niña en zona rural de Caloto (El Tiempo)
- FARC amenazó 26 indígenas del Cauca (Semana)
