Killing escalation of social leaders in various areas of Colombia went on in the weekend, too. The leader of the Mixed Domestic and Farmer Association (Asomic) Fernando Gómez was murdered last Saturday in Guancarì (Cauca Valley Department). This episode raised much concern: Gomez was a person highly valued by the population, in an area characterised by the presence of criminal gangs and drug traffickers. On the other hand, another three social leaders were killed last Friday, in several areas of the country: in Ituango, Antioquia; in Chaparral, Tolima; and in Cartagena, Chairá (Caquetá Department). In those cases, too, the people killed were part of farmers’ associations, and struggled to get their land back. Another three social leaders were killed at the beginning of the last week. In accordance with the official data of judicial authorities, 30 social leaders have already been killed in 2018 – 178 starting from 2016. However, according to the “Defensoría del pueblo”, since 2016, murders were 311, and about one hundred from the beginning of the year. Last Friday, demonstrations to defend social leaders were held all over the country.
Before such slow, but constant massacre, the Colombian Bishops’ Conference expressed much concern last Friday, in the final message to the Plenary Assembly: “Again, we manifest our great consternation for the killings of our brothers and sisters in the last few days; we share the pain of their families. Every life is holy, and every death is violent and unacceptable”. The bishops made “an appeal to the Colombian society to keep stability in regional territories as well as democracy, following the direction of life, freedom and justice. We ask authorities to increase protection level as strengthen the legal mechanisms safeguarding people under threats”.
In general, as for the peace path, the Colombian Bishops’ Conference pointed out that “peace is a value deserving all our efforts. Not a single Colombian is allowed to avoid participating, with the aim of overcoming problems or conflict situations still present in the country”. Therefore, “we ask everyone not to interrupt the efforts that the country has been making for peace and reconciliation”: a path “needing new efforts and new horizons, and above all, courage and commitment of everyone to make peace real”. In the message, the Colombian bishops also ask new President Iván Duque to grant the unity of the country, and to promote such objective together with all parties and social groups. Another great objective for Colombia should be the struggle against corruption, seen as a real “scourge”, “increasing iniquity, unlawfulness, drug trafficking, poverty and several kinds of violence”.