Relatives of the victims from Tumaco reject official versions that link them to illegal groups and cry for justice.
News International.
The recent massacre in El Oro, Ecuador, has left a trail of pain and uncertainty in Tumaco, a municipality in the Colombian department of Nariño, where three of the nine murdered Colombians were from.
The tragedy has highlighted the complex dynamics of mobility, precariousness and violence that border communities face.
Maicol C., 28 years old; José P., 23; and Samuel C., 22, left the La Espriella village, Tumaco, on November 23.
According to testimonies from their loved ones, the young They had been hired to work in the agricultural sector in Brazil.
For them, the job offer represented an opportunity to improve their living conditions and provide a better future for their families, far from the scarcity and lack of employment in their native region.
However, destiny leads them to the border between Ecuador and Peru, a territory marked by disputes between organized crime groups.
Despite rumors about the reasons for his presence in El Oro, Their families and friends assure that they had no relationship with illegal activities, unlike what the Ecuadorian authorities suggest.
The cloak of violence and fear
The impact of the massacre not only hits the families of the victims, but silences an entire community. A representative of La Espriella shared with Blu Radio that the families of the young people have received anonymous threats, which has forced them to remain silent and avoid giving details that could compromise their safety.
«There is no work in the area that is not related to illegal activities. They saw in that trip a way to get ahead«explained the spokesperson.
The Tumacuna community has expressed outrage at the way Ecuadorian authorities have labeled the victims as part of illegal structures.
«We know that Maicol, Joseph and Samuel had no ties to armed groups. They were young people with dreams of progress«said the local representative.
They ask the authorities of both countries for an explanation
While Colombian and Ecuadorian authorities work on the repatriation of the bodies, possible motives for the massacre are being investigated.
Near the scene of the events, in the Barbones parish of the El Guabo canton, a pamphlet was found that alludes to territorial disputes between criminal gangs.
This finding reinforces the hypothesis that young people were trapped in a fight that did not belong to them.
The Secretary of the Government of Nariño, Benildo Estupiñán, expressed his concern at the lack of clarity about the facts.
«We request a detailed report from the Ecuadorian authorities. It is essential to know the truth to clarify the massacre and protect the families of the victims«, he stated.
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