Two Thousand March After Another Indigenous Leader Murdered in Cauca Department, Colombia

Civilian Population Suffering Consequences of Escalation in Violence

More than two thousand indigenous community members and representatives from national and international social organisations marched on Friday 26th February in protest over the murder of yet another indigenous leader by armed groups in Cauca department. Andres Muelas was killed in mysterious circumstances on Wednesday 24th February when he was returning home on his motorbike on the Pan-American highway. He was shot in the head and died instantly, possibly in cross-fire between armed groups, or possibly deliberately targeted. The army’s official version of events does not match that of witnesses, arousing suspicion within the indigenous community. What is certain is that Andres was a very popular, respected young leader who at 28 years old was already directing literacy projects and had held several positions on the council of his community.

This year has seen an intensification of the armed conflict in Northern Cauca department after the army installed a battalion with 2000 soldiers in the area. The impact on the civil population has been catastrophic, with several indigenous community members killed in cross-fire, dozens injured, and large-scale displacement of people fleeing the violence which has engulfed the area. Neither the army, the FARC guerrilla group, nor ultra-right wing paramilitaries aligned to the government are showing any regard for the safety of the local population, and are instead seeking to involve locals in the conflict by demanding trying to force their co-operation and forcibly recruiting youngsters. All sides regularly violate international humanitarian law and are responsible for systematic human rights violations.

On Saturday 20th February, six houses and the local hospital were destroyed when the army and FARC combatants engaged in heavy fighting in Jambalo village. Instead of ordering the army to respect the local population, President Uribe claimed that the local indigenous population had stopped the army from capturing some drugs traffickers in indigenous territory, and stated in a clear reference to indigenous communities that the government will not permit the existence of ‘mini Republics of delinquents’. This is in line with the Uribe administration’s policy of claiming that indigenous communities are linked to the FARC, a cynical tactic which makes them legitimate targets for army and paramilitary violence and also fails to recognise the indigenous movement’s categorical rejection of all armed groups and its own political process which has been attacked by all sides in the armed conflict. President Uribe’s comments also ignore the fact that FARC guerrillas have murdered several indigenous leaders in Northern Cauca department after the indigenous population dismantled several FARC cocaine laboratories in indigenous territory.




In the public rally which followed Friday’s march, Cauca indigenous leader Jorge Arias angrily called on all armed groups to respect the autonomy of indigenous communities and abandon indigenous territories immediately, and to “open their dark hearts”. Andres Muela’s brother, Ruben Dario, asked ‘how many more brothers and sisters do we have to lose before they realise that they aren’t going to force us to abandon our territory?”.







Please write to the Colombian embassy and demand that the government respect international humanitarian law and the human rights of the civil population in Cauca department, as well as the territorial autonomy of indigenous communities. You can email the Colombian embassy in London at elondres@cancilleria.gov.co and mail@colombianembassy.co.uk