The grisly discovery of human remains at low tide on Colombia’s southern Pacific coast brings the count so far in 2014 to nine people, according to local media reports.
Parishoners in the Viento Libre barrio of Buenaventura, in Colombia’s south, emerged from their homes to celebrate Palm Sunday, a Catholic holy day, when they found plastic bags filled with body parts.
For now, the remnants have been sent for forensic investigation and are awaiting identification.
“This is a message [signalling] the beginning of a violent Easter, I hope I’m wrong,” said a priest, who asked to remain anonymous, according to Colombia’s El Pais newspaper.
Violence on the Pacific
There have been dozens of murders, eight disappearances and hundreds displaced according to Colombia’s highest governmental human rights office.
In report in late March, Colombia’s Ombudsman, Jorge Armando Otalora, said that since January 1, there have been 87 homicides, eight people had disappeared and 1086 people had been displaced.
Turf War
The port-city of Buenaventura lies on Colombia’s Pacific coast and has been the stage of an increasingly aggressive turf war between criminal gangs fighting for control of illegal drug trafficking routes.
Three weeks ago, Colombia’s Defense Ministry last week promised more troops to contain the exacerbated human rights crisis in the coastal city of Buenaventura.
The UN made a visit to the city in November 2013 and called on the Colombian government to take action to contain devastating levels of violence which led to a rising homicide rate and the forced displacement of thousands of individuals.
MORE: UN urges Colombia to attend security crisis in Pacific port city
Buenaventura, Valle del Cauca
Sources
Vuelven a encontrar un cadáver descuartizado en Buenaventura (El Pais)