On the night of Thursday, June 27, Eyber Danilo Poto Pazú, son of the Vice Minister of Ethnic and Peasant Affairs, Nelson Lemus, was murdered in the department of Cauca.
The first indications are that The Dagoberto Ramos Front of the FARC’s Central General Staff would be behind the crime.
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The victim, who was a community member of the San Francisco indigenous reservation, in the municipality of Toribío, had been kidnapped on June 22, by the commander alias Pájaro and alias Avelino Ul, members of the Dagoberto Ramos Front, in the El Tierrero village. from the municipality of Caloto, as reported by the Regional Indigenous Council of Cauca (Cric).
The reactions to the death of Eyber Danilo Poto Pazú were immediate. The ICT Minister, Mauricio Lizcano, rejected this fact in his account. x: “Round rejection of the murder of Eyber Danilo Poto Pazú, son of the Vice Minister of Ethnic Peoples, Nelson Lemus Cruz. I urge the authorities to take measures, forceful and agile actions that lead to the capture of those who perpetrated this reprehensible act in Cauca.. All my solidarity and condolences to the family and friends of the deceased. We are with you.”
For his part, the director of the National Planning Department, Alexander López Maya, pointed out: “These criminals want to plunge us into the miserable war to continue committing crimes against the withering of the Nation. These acts are far from a true vocation for peace. What do they get out of killing innocent people? What is the supposed fight for the people if they murder the same defenseless people with total inhumanity?
Vice President Francia Márquez wrote in x: “As a mother, as a Caucasian woman, vice president and Minister of Equality, I want to send a fraternal hug to our vice minister Nelson Lemus, for the tragedy of the murder of his deputy, the indigenous community member Eivar Danilo Poto.”
He added: “We are not here to see our daughters and sons die. On the contrary, our struggle is for them to grow up in a country with guaranteed rights, opportunities and peace. As part of the national government, I continue to demand security guarantees for Caucanos and the country in general.”
At the time of the kidnapping of the community member, the Association of Indigenous Councils of Cauca (Acin) indicated that this event was a new escalation of attacks against indigenous communities in the territories of northern Cauca. “Although progress has been made in the defense of life through territorial care points, (…) we continue to experience the deepening of violent dynamics that seek to ensure control of the territory by armed groups that want to dominate the communities”.
In addition to kidnappings, the Cric also warned about constant threats, sabotage of legitimate community decisions, selective killings, imposition of curfews, extortions and demarcation of territory with symbols of death and war.
“For all this they always have a justification and they hide behind the fact that ‘that’s how war is’, but they don’t dare to tell the truth: because The ‘war’ that they wage is not against the Colombian State, but rather it is against usagainst the organized communities that seek autonomy, unity, protection of the territory and survival as an indigenous people,” said Acin.
Finally, the association pointed out that they have made countless calls for dialogue and peace: “(…) our proposal for real and purposeful dialogue for the region and the country is based on the primary recognition of community organizations as undisputed actors of peace, as builders of social justice and as subjects of our own destiny.”
