Colombian Indigenous Group Laments Murder of 5 Leaders

The Regional Indigenous Council of Cauca (CRIC) denounced Tuesday the murder of at least five leaders of the Tacueyo community in an armed attack that the military claimed might have been carried out by dissident members of the now-dissolved guerrilla group Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC).

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According to the CRIC, the attack occurred in the Tacueyo Reserve in the southwestern Cauca province, where Governor Cristina Bautista and Indigenous guard Jose Gerardo Soto were killed, while another five members of the community — Montaño Noscue, Jose Norman Montaño Noscue, Crescencio Peteche Mensa and Dora Rut Mesa Peteche — were injured.

Luis Acosta, the national coordinator of the Indigenous guard, responsible for security in native territory across Colombia, said that the attack resulted in a "serious emergency" but that indigenous authorities will not let the tragedy affect their mission.

"We're not going to be scared... we continue to resist at this time, with much grief over the deaths of our colleagues, but we are not going to bend," Acosta said in a message distributed to members of the community.

The military also issued a communique confirming the killings by "presumed members of a residual organized armed group" - a phrase used by the military to refer to former members of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) rebels who refused to demobilize under a 2016 peace deal.

The armed group attacked to free three group members captured by the guards, the military said in a statement. Troops have been moved to the area, it added.

Senator from the Nasa Indigenous tribe, Feliciano Valencia urged the ombudsman, Carlos Alfonso Negret, to "immediately address this humanitarian crisis" affecting the Indigenous people of Cauca.

Lawmaker Roy Barreras of the Social Party of National Unity said on Twitter that shooting was continuing in Tacueyo and urged the government to address the situation.

"Air support from the Defense Ministry and Military Forces is indispensable. Indigenous guard members may die," added Barreras, who called on the country's authorities to "prevent those deaths now."

Cauca is one of the most troubled departments due to the presence of several illegal armed groups vying for control of the territory for drug-trafficking activities.