United Nations Sounds Alarms About Rising Violence in Colombia

The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) Michelle Bachelet on Tuesday condemned the increase in violence in Colombia, urging President Ivan Duque's administration to take concrete actions to effectively protect the population.

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Bachelet noted that the Indigenous Nasa community has been one of the most affected by the violence in 2020, with 66 of its members reported having been killed in the northern Cauca region.

She called on the National Commission on Security Guarantees (NCSG) to develop a policy to dismantle the criminal organizations that have been named as successors to paramilitary groups and their support networks.

The United Nations Office for Human Rights in Colombia documented 66 massacres, in which 255 Colombians were killed so far this year.

The meme reads, "Another from Almugre: 8 days ago, Colombian police murdered a cab driver-lawyer in Bogota, unleashing protests against police and state brutality and corruption. The repression has left more dead people. Almagro has published 15 tweets these days, none of them from Colombia." The sign reads, "Killer State."

Since the signing of the Peace Agreement, the United Nations Verification Mission in Colombia has documented 244 murders of former FARC combatants. 

In the first semester of 2020, about 16,190 people were displaced by violence, which doubles the number recorded in the same period last year.

"It is tragic to see so many people fall victim to persistent violence across the country. In addition to those killed, the victims of course include those left behind, who remain almost completely defenseless," Bachelet said.