The Ombudsman’s Office set off alarms due to the difficult situation experienced by the inhabitants of the rural area of Ciénaga in the department of Magdalena, as they are at risk of confinement due to combat between illegal structures.
The clashes between the Gaitanista Self-Defense Forces of Colombia and the Conquering Self-Defense Forces of the Sierra Nevada (ACSN) in the Palmor district, jurisdiction of the municipality of Ciénaga, They put communities at risk, which could lead to massive displacement of local residents.
“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,” he stated. the ombudsman, Carlos Camargo Assis.
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He stressed that according to the authorities’ versions, the Conquering Self-Defense Forces of the Sierra Nevada (ACSN) want to have control of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, without caring about what may happen to the civilian population, which could now be in the middle of the fire. crossed between the two armed criminal structures.
“The disturbance of public order at that point of so “The vast mountainous massif in the north of the country is not a new situation”stressed the Defender.
He highlighted that 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 Kogi people are also at risk.
“We have been demanding for several years the assistance of the competent entities to protect the rights to security, integrity, life and free mobility of the residents of Palmor and the surrounding areas, made up of peasant and indigenous communities,” he warned.
He noted that the alert focused the risk not only on Ciénaga at the time.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 ground in territorial and social control, carry out actions that end affecting the residents.
“Since last May 1st, the indigenous authorities have kept the population sheltered in their settlements, waiting for the fighting to come to an end and for there to be security guarantees in the area, with the aim of purpose that they can move without seeing their lives exposed“, he pointed.
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Camargo Assis, made a new call to the territorial authorities, the national government and the National Army, to that the security of the communities is guaranteed.
“Deploy actions that safeguard peasants and indigenous people in such a vast area and update prevention, protection and contingency plans, with the aim of providing comprehensive care to those who are being affected by the armed conflict”, he pointed out.
