Violence Displaces more than 400 Indigenous People in Sierra Nevada, Santa Marta

Clashes between criminal gangs have forced over 400 indigenous Wiwa people to flee their homes in the Sierra Nevada of Santa Marta, Colombia. This wave of violence, occurring within just two days, has uprooted around 80 families, pushing them to seek refuge in Riohacha, the departmental capital.

The unrest stems from a power struggle between two outlawed paramilitary factions: the Conquering Self-Defense Groups of the Sierra Nevada (ACSN) and the Gaitanista Self-Defense Forces of Colombia (AGC). These groups are vying for dominance over territory and the illicit drug trade in the region. Indigenous community leaders are alarmed, fearing a repeat of the events of 2002. Back then, paramilitary forces, sometimes with the backing of security agencies, triggered widespread displacement of populations.

Protecting the population

The United Nations has issued a communiqué urging the Colombian government to prevent these criminal acts that greatly affect minors. “We express concern about the situation of the Wiwa and Afro peoples and peasant communities in the Sierra Nevada of Santa Marta, as a result of clashes between armed groups in their territory,” says the UN statement.

The international organization also points out that the government must “guarantee the life and integrity of this population, as well as the immediate attention of the displaced families”. For now, and in an attempt to reestablish order, units of the national army have been deployed in the area.

This has been announced by the secretary of the regional government, Misael Velasquez, who has asked those affected to flee to spaces where they are safe, to avoid being victims of the crossfire.

“The situation is quite serious: last Saturday at 11 o’clock at night, 400 people including many women and children, were displaced by two armed groups fighting for land in the area. Now we need to organize them in shelters here in Riohacha where they will need blankets, mattresses, non-perishable food, rice, grains, sugar, tuna and cleaning products, among other things”, explained a social leader in Riohacha.

A weekend of terror

Last Sunday, a nighttime confrontation triggered the incursion of more than 100 armed men onto the lands of the Wiwa community, located in Limon Carrizal, at the foot of the Sierra Nevada in the department of La Guajira.

The violence has forced many to flee to Riohacha and Cesar in search of refuge and protection. Human rights organizations have confirmed the death of four combatants and have reported that more than 250 indigenous people are confined, exposed to precarious and dangerous conditions.

This incident highlights the vulnerability of indigenous communities to armed violence and the urgency of providing them with security and protection. It is crucial that measures are taken to ensure the safety of these communities and address the underlying causes of these conflicts to prevent further displacement and loss of life.

“Now the nearby communities are afraid to leave their homes to go to work in the fields, to school, the stores are closed, so they have no food supply either, everyone needs help and presence of the authorities in this area. So far the government is not paying attention to us,” lamented a community leader.

Danger of recruitment

The lack of opportunities in the region exacerbates the risk of recruitment into the ranks of criminal gangs offering a salary higher than the minimum wage, which in Colombia is 1,300,000 pesos. This phenomenon has increased in several areas of the Sierra Nevada and southern Magdalena, generating concern among social leaders and human rights defenders. In addition, there is a high risk of forced recruitment of children and adolescents in the region.

The Ombudsman, Carlos Camargo, warned last year that the communities of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta are at very high risk due to the presence of armed groups, whose confrontations “have caused the forced displacement of hundreds of people in 2023, which in turn represents the possibility of forced recruitment among young people in this area of the country”.

For now, attempts to include these illegal armed groups in the Total Peace project with the government have been unsuccessful. President Gustavo Petro hopes that with the designation of former paramilitary chief Salvatore Mancuso as peace mediator, the rapprochement of some of these resudial paramilitary sectors to the peace dialogue with the State will be possible.