In the rural area of the municipality of Remedios, Antioquia, in the ‘El Aporreado’ sector of the village of El Diamante, peasant leader Elmer Lenin Guerra Castro was assassinated, apparently by the illegal armed group Self-Defense Forces of Colombia.
The events occurred when Guerra together with his wife Yuliana Galeano Luján, who is secretary of the JAC of the village of El Carmen de Remedios, were intercepted as indicated by the Gaitanista Self-Defense Forces of Colombia (AGC) when they headed home.
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The illegals, who apparently have installed a paramilitary checkpoint on this road for more than a year, forced the couple to get out of the vehicle. Once they were detained, the woman managed to escape alive while the man was massacred.
As Óscar Yesid Zapata explained, spokesperson for the Sumapaz Foundation, Guerra ya He had denounced the installation of this checkpoint but his claim was not addressed.
“The authorities have not wanted and never wanted to deal with the complaints about the checkpoints on that road.. It was known from the Ombudsman’s Office and other alerts what was happening, “he stressed.
According to Zapata, the community was the one that removed the body, which was found with signs of torture and several bullet wounds.
Lenin Guerra was one of the people who installed and accompanied the humanitarian shelter in which more than 500 people have been declared in the village of El Carmen de Remedios.
Zapata, in turn, blamed the State for not having addressed a situation that the leader had already denounced. and that in addition, from the Sumapaz foundation they had issued an alert due to the presence and expansion of these armed groups in the territory.
“Eight months ago, with the Sumapaz Foundation, we issued an alert about the presence and advance of different armed groups in these areas and This alert was not really addressed by the Colombian State, therefore there is a direct responsibility of the public force, mayors and the Government”, he pointed.
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RCN Mundo had communication with the government secretary of Remedios, Luisa María Estrada and stated that A security council is being held in the municipality with the Police and the Army to clarify this crime.