Social leaders murdered in Colombia

Well, the 79th leader, murdered in 2024, died at the hands of armed men in a public establishment in the El Palo village in the municipality of Caloto. Photo: Open Truth

By: Nolan Bueno

June 15, 2024 Time: 05:39

The Ombudsman’s Office issued several Early Warnings to warn about the risks that activists are experiencing.

In Colombia, the Institute of Development and Peace Studies (Indepaz) denounced this Friday the murder of social leaders Deyby Yair Bueno Villano, Alcides Sucerquia and William Ramírez.

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Deyby Yair Bueno Villano was a recognized indigenous leader, a community member of the Guabito village and part of the Nasa de López territory, where he had been a member of the authorities in 2023.

Bueno Villano, the 79th leader murdered so far in 2024, died at the hands of armed men in a public establishment in the El Palo village in the municipality of Caloto, department of Cauca.

For its part, the Ombudsman’s Office issued AT (Early Alert) 007/21 for Coleto, along with its monitoring report No. 030 of 2023, and AT 019/23 for leaders and human rights defenders.

These documents describe the risk scenarios faced by people who are individually or collectively dedicated to the defense of human rights and social leadership from a variety of areas or sectors of the country.

Alcides Sucerquia was a prominent social and political leader, who had been president of the Community Action Board of the Guacharaquero village and ran as a candidate for the Municipal Council in Ituango, department of Antioquia, for the Party of the U.

In a place called Los Baños, at the exit of the municipality of Ituango, Sucerquia was murdered and his body was found along with another person.

William Ramírez was a well-known peasant leader in the municipality of Silvia, Cauca, and was also a member of the Community Action Board of the Santa Lucía village.

Ramírez is the 81st murdered activist of 2024. His death occurred in an unknown context. It is important to note that the peasant leader Codos Quijano was murdered in the same village in December 2023.