An armed confrontation between the Jaime Martínez Front of the FARC dissidents and the ELN would have resulted in the death of 12 people in the area of Sagrada Familia, in the lower part of the Naya River, in the district of Buenaventura. The Secretary of Security of Valle del Cauca, Ana María Sanclemente, has confirmed this provisional figure of victims. The authorities have called a security council in Buenaventura to clarify the events. So far, the information on the deaths and the identity of the deceased has not been officially confirmed.
No civilian casualties
Preliminary reports indicate that there were no members of the local community among the victims. The incident took place in an area near Ají Island, in the district of Puerto Merizalde, in the Naya basin. Members of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and local authorities are moving to the area to verify the situation and obtain more details about what happened. The Colombian Pacific region, where Buenaventura is located, has been the scene of territorial disputes between illegal armed groups, which has affected local communities and generated concerns about security in the area.
Context
The Ombudsman’s Office has indicated that Buenaventura faces three main sources of danger due to the activity of armed groups, including the ELN, the Clan del Golfo, the Segunda Marquetalia, the Shotas and the Espartanos. These conflicts are affecting the rights of local communities. In addition, a massacre was reported in Caquetá on August 25, where five people were killed in an area controlled by FARC dissidents. Initial hypotheses suggest that the deceased were involved in illegal mining and that the armed group Rodrigo Cadete could be responsible.
