UN denounces increase in massacres in Colombia despite truces

Colombia registered 52 massacres during the first half of 2023, an increase of 11% compared to the same period of the previous year, despite the truces that the government has agreed this year with various armed groups, according to a balance presented by United Nations this Tuesday.

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“In the verified massacres, it continues to be observed that a high percentage of these are allegedly responsible for non-state armed groups and criminal organizations” said the Representative in Colombia of the High Commissioner for United Nations for Human Rights, Juliette De Riveroduring the presentation of the report on the humanitarian situation of the country, in Bogota.

The massacres – defined by the UN such as the murder of three or more defenseless people in the same place – left 168 dead during the first half of the year, 19 of them minors.

President, Gustavo Petroannounced on New Year’s Eve a bilateral ceasefire six months with the five main armed groups operating in the country.

The truce was rejected a few days later by the guerrillas of THE Nwhich resumed hostilities in January and finally agreed to a ceasefire that came into force on August 3, as part of the negotiations it is conducting with executive delegates in Venezuela.

On the other hand, the violations of the truce by the drug gang of gulf clan and a dissident faction of the peace pact that disarmed the FARC known as the Central General Staff (EMC) led the government to completely suspend the truce with the first group and lift the ceasefire in four regions of the south of the country with the second.

As part of its policy Total PeacePetro, the first leftist to come to power in Colombia, seeks to dismantle armed groups through dialogue. But the opposition denounces that the illegals have taken advantage of this offer to strengthen themselves and attack the public force.

Four police officers died over the weekend in the southwest of the country in attacks attributed to the EMC.

The UN asked the government “make a better articulation between the total peace policy, the dismantlement policy and the security policy”.

He also valued the fact that the murders of human rights defenders had fallen 19% compared to the previous semester. However, the 46 cases registered during the first half of 2023 are “intolerable“, according to rivero.

Colombiathe largest cocaine producer in the world, is experiencing a six-decade conflict that faces drug dealers, guerrillasparamilitary groups and state agents.

Source: Elcomercio

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