Colombia's Death Toll Rises To 82 After Awa Woman Is Murdered

The Indigenous Unity of the Awa People of Colombia (UNIPA) Sunday denounced the assassination of Indigenous leader Ana Lucia Bisbicus in the department of Nariño.

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On the night of Saturday, Bisbicus was attending a funeral in the Buenavista-Barbacoas municipality, where unidentified armed men shot her to death near to the local church.

The 50-years-old victim was a leader of the Awa people in the Indigenous reservation of Pipalta Palvi Yaguapi. Previously, on May 6, her son, Deiro Bisbicus, was also assassinated under similar circumstances.

“The murder of Ana Lucia shows us that the illegal armed groups found the way they can cause us the most pain, attacking our hearts, because women are the ones who bring us together and are the very life of the Awa families,” UNIPA said.

The Indigenous organization pointed to President Ivan Duque and his administration as silent cohorts of the systematic killings and requested to human rights defenders to take actions against the violent situation against Indigenous peoples.

"In several statements, we have denounced the threats that the displaced Awa families live on the Telembies property, in the village of Buenavista," UNIPA added.

According to the Colombian Institute for Peace development (Indepaz), 223 leaders and human rights defenders have been killed during 2020, 82 of whom were Indigenous leaders.