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News > Colombia

Colombian Police Shots A 10-Year-Old Embera Indigenous Child

  • A paramedic heals the wounds of the Embera child Elio Niasa, Putumayo, Colombia, Feb. 3, 2022.

    A paramedic heals the wounds of the Embera child Elio Niasa, Putumayo, Colombia, Feb. 3, 2022. | Photo: Twitter/ @abrahamkatime

Published 4 February 2022
Opinion

Police landed on La Italia in helicopters to develop a narcotics search operation. The officers ignored the Indigenous inhabitants' complaints and opened fire on them indiscriminately.

On Thursday, Colombian anti-narcotics police injured 10-year-old Indigenous child Elio Niasa amid a confrontation with the Emberas leaders in the La Italia settlement, located between the municipalities of Puerto Asis and Valle del Guamuez.

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Although Police brigades lacked orders from the Ethnicity Ministry, they landed on La Italia in helicopters to develop a narcotics search operation.

The community tried to reach an agreement with the officers to prevent them from entering illegally into its territory. The brigade, however, ignored the Indigenous inhabitants and indiscriminately open fire, injuring Niassa in his left arm.

The settlement leader Luis Yagari condemned that the police did not provide first aid to Niassa until 30 minutes after they injured him. He also mentioned that no public institution has consulted on Niassa's health state so far. 

This attack occurred when the Interior Ministry is carrying out a "characterization" of the Embera population, which consists of collecting information that will serve to organize the safe return of community members who have been displaced due to armed violence.

“The process is aimed at knowing how many people make up the communities, their sex, and age," the Peace, Victims and Reconciliation Advisor Vladimir Rodriguez stated. Although he urged to speed the process since many Indigenous communities have settled in parks and public places, he stressed that the return must be voluntary.

"The State must also guarantee protection for those Indigenous persons who do not wish to return to their former settlements," he added.

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