Colombia and 145 activists killed in 2021: Young indigenous activist killed this year
Kanako Mita, Sawako Utsumi, and Lee Jay Walker
Modern Tokyo Times
Another 145 people in Colombia were killed in 2021 concerning their respective human rights activity. Every year people are killed for speaking up for the dispossessed and communities who suffer at the hands of various militias – be they Marxists or right-wing paramilitaries. Also, over many decades the darkness of the state apparatus stalks the country.
In the last two years, 327 activists have been killed. Activist campaigners for poor rural communities, indigenous activists, human rights individuals, trade unionists, environmentalists, and others are killed by a collection of forces inside Colombia.
A peace agreement was signed between the government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) in 2016 to end the conflict. However, dissident activity related to FARC, paramilitary forces, the ELN, and drug cartels all fear political activists. Therefore, the interwoven reality of political forces, the drug trade, criminality – and past government-related judicial killings – continues to blight the country.
The BBC reports, “Violence has increased in recent months due to disputes over territory and resources involving dissident Farc rebels and members of another Marxist guerrilla group – the National Liberation Army (ELN) – as well as right-wing paramilitary groups and criminal gangs such as the Gulf Clan.”
Already in 2022, a young 14 indigenous activist was killed. Hence, the death of Breiner David Cucuñame (member of the unarmed group called the Indigenous Guard) highlights the continuing deadly pattern for this year.
The human rights coordinator for the Association of Indigenous Councils of Northern Cauca (ACIN), Eduin Mauricio Capaz, said, “The Indigenous Guard are protectors of the land and the environment, and Breiner represented that.”
Modern Tokyo Times stated last year, “The recent history of Colombia is blighted by massacres committed by the armed forces, right-wing paramilitaries, left-wing forces (FARC), and murky criminal activity that belongs to many shadows. Of course, the criminal acts of America and the role of the CIA assisted in the carnage. Therefore, the ex-President of Colombia, Juan Manuel Santos, is asking for forgiveness concerning the deaths of 6,402 people killed by the armed forces between 2002-2008.”
Overall, the situation remains grim in Colombia. After all, poorer communities and activists have little trust in all directions given the recent history of this country.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-59984858
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