The clashes between the Gaitanista Self-Defense Forces of Colombia and the Conquering Self-Defense Forces of the Sierra Nevada in the Palmor district also put the local residents in danger of massive displacement.
In the monitoring carried out by the Ombudsman’s Office of the humanitarian situation in the upper part of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, they showed that families from three settlements of the Kogui people are also at risk.
The territorial entities and the National Army, as peremptory call of the Ombudsman, must deploy actions that safeguard peasants and indigenous people affected by such a wide area and update the prevention, protection and contingency plans, with the aim of providing them with comprehensive care.
Communiqué 608/ Santa Marta (Magdalena), May 3, 2024 (@DefensoriaCol). Clashes between members of the Gaitanista Self-Defense Forces of Colombia (AGC-Clan del Golfo) and the Conquering Self-Defense Forces of the Sierra Nevada (ACSN) in the Palmor district, jurisdiction of the municipality of Ciénaga, in the department of Magdalena, have the communities in high risk of confinement or collective displacement.
The ACSN want to have control of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, without caring about what may happen to the civilian population, which right now could be in the middle of the crossfire between the two armed criminal structures.
“The unfortunate episode of violence is the x-ray of what we warned in our Early Warning 044 of 2019 and, subsequently, in two Follow-up Reports. We issued the first of them in November 2021 and the second, in October 2023,” says the Ombudsman, Carlos Camargo Assis.
The alteration of public order in that part of such a large mountain range in the north of the country is not a new situation, the Ombudsman emphasizes: “We have been demanding the assistance of competent entities for several years to protect the rights to security, integrity, life and free mobility of the residents of Palmor and the surrounding sites, made up of peasant and indigenous communities.”
The Alert focused the risk not only for Ciénaga at the time, but also for Aracataca, Fundación, Santa Marta and Zona Bananera, since they are sectors of particular interest to armed groups outside the law, which, with the aim of strengthening their structures and gaining terrain in territorial and social control, carry out actions that end up affecting the residents.
In the monitoring carried out by officials of the Ombudsman’s Office, through its Magdalena Regional Office, of the humanitarian situation in the upper part of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, in the vicinity of the Kogui Malayo Arhuaco reservation, it was evident that the families of three settlements of the Kogi people.
“Since last May 1, the indigenous authorities have kept the population sheltered in their settlements, waiting for the fighting to come to an end and there to be security guarantees in the area, with the purpose of allowing them to travel without seeing exposed their lives,” says Camargo Assis.
Consequently, he made an urgent call to the territorial authorities and the National Army: “Deploy actions that safeguard the peasants and indigenous people of such a vast area and update the prevention, protection and contingency plans, with the aim of providing them with comprehensive care for those who are being affected by the armed conflict.”
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