The Catholic bishops of Valle del Cauca They issued a statement on June 14, where they make a call to stop violent actions in the department. The message was supported by the archdioceses of Buenaventura, Buga, Cali, Cartago and Palmira.
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In the document, they spoke out against the acts that have been presented and increased during 2024 in the region.
“Faced with the worsening of the polarization, threats, harassment, extortion, attacks, murders and other acts of violence […] that leave uncertainty, sadness, pain and death, creating fear and hurting the hope of citizens”.
Demonstration in Valle del Cauca in 2023.
Photo:Jaime Moreno / EL TIEMPO Archive
They ask that the violence stop and invite the authorities and the civilian population to “join efforts”, to find possible solutions among all. They indicate that it is necessary to propose solutions to overcome the situation.
“In the name of the Lord we urge those who plan and carry out these insane acts to become aware of the evil they do to the population and even to themselves. Nothing justifies violence!” they also stated.
In addition, they consider that within the framework of the United Nations Conference on Biodiversity (COP 16), there is an opportunity to take “permanent action.” The event will take place from October 21 to November 1, 2024.
Violence in Valle del Cauca
Ombudsman in Valle del Cauca.
Photo:Ombudsman’s Office.
According to the Ombudsman’s Office, “intensification of the armed conflict and direct violence is evident in the Valley, not only due to the presence and territorial control of the groups present, but for the income to these areas from others illegal armed structures”.
For his part, the Institute of Development and Peace Studies (Indepaz) has registered 29 massacres in said region, during 2024.
Even on the day the bishops’ statement was issued, three people were murdered with a firearm in the neighborhood Florida’s New Horizon. The victims were men, who were attacked from a van on a public road.
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