A special concern evidenced the Ombudsman’s Office in Chocó.
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The Ombudsman launched an alert Due to the existence of eleven humanitarian emergency foci in the country, due to the armed conflict that occurs in different regions nationwide.
The entity’s report records an impact disproportionately in the peasant communities, Afro -Colombian and indigenous people, as well as girls, boys, adolescents and young people.
“The humanitarian situation we are witnessing is alarming. The armed conflict continues to seriously affect the civilian population, with displacements, confinements, homicides and the constant threat of illegal groups, ”said the Ombudsman, Iris Marín Ortiz.
He stressed that after the monitoring of the Ombudsman’s Office, It was evidenced that ten illegal armed groups are behind this crisis, including the National Liberation Army (ELN), the Gulf clan, the dissidents commanded by aka “bite” and alias “Calarcá Córdoba” and criminal organizations such as the Shottas and the Spartans
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The evaluation has a special chapter in the department of the Chocó where according to the Ombudsman’s Office there is a critical case of violence and displacement.
“One of the most critical scenarios is lived in the sub -region of San Juan, Chocó, where from February 4 they are recorded clashes between the ELN and the Gulf clan. For the first time, we have reports of the presence of the dissidents under alias ‘bite’, who would be acting in alliance with the Gulf clan to face the Eln, ”he explained Defender Iris Marín Ortiz.
He pointed out that in this context, the ELN also announced an armed strike of 72 hours from next Tuesday, February 18, which aggravates the confinement of communities due to the navigation ban in the area.
“In addition, the presence of antipersone mines near hamlets and schools puts the population at serious risk. Until now, at least 1,600 people have been affected by displacements and confinements in the region, with special concern for the situation of the Wounan people, facing severe mobility restrictions and access to basic resources, ”he explained.
He said that in this region of the Colombian Pacific there is the expansion of armed groups.
“In addition to Chocó, the Ombudsman’s Office has documented emergencies in Nariño, Cauca, El Pacífico Vallecaucano, Antioquia, the Sierra Nevada, Perijá, Magdalena Medio, Arauca, Meta, Guaviare, South of Córdoba, Buenaventura, Tolima and Putumayo, the latter With high risk in the atypical elections of February 23, ”he said.
Stressed that 73% of the country’s municipalities are low The influence of illegal armed groups.
“In the last five years, they have managed to expand and strengthen their actions. It is worrying, but it is not irremediable, ”emphasized the Ombudsman, Iris Marín Ortiz.
The official said that in the face of this panorama, The Ombudsman’s Office makes an urgent call to the authorities nationwide to protect the civilian population.
“We urged national and local authorities to implement immediate actions that prioritize the protection of the affected communities, taking into account the diagnosis of early alerts and their recommendations, as well as all the information that the different institutions of the State have,” held.
He pointed out that the international community is also asked to maintain and strengthen their support for humanitarian initiatives and demand respect for the rights of people and communities at risk.
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“We demand illegal armed groups to respect the rights of the population and international humanitarian law. Special and emphatically we demand not to continue instrumentalizing organizations and communal action boards to favor their interests and expand their territorial action. Populations are entitled to their autonomy from the arbitrary and illegitimate power of weapons. Legitimacy will not be able to violate people, on the contrary, this highlights their illegitimacy, ” Indian.
He pointed out that the National Government is asked to continue demanding at the current conversation tables the respect of humanitarian law, especially not to involve the civilian population in the armed conflict and the immediate release of children and adolescents recruited and the suspension of this practice.
“Violence cannot continue to mark the fate of our communities. State institutions have the ability to deal with this crisis and guarantee the integral presence of the rule of law in the territories, ”concluded Iris Marín Ortiz.
Source: Integrated information system
