Violence and displacement take hold of Magüí Payán, in Nariño

In this case, there is a delicate report from the municipality of Magüí Payán, because according to the community the armed groups that commit crimes in the area have increased their actions in search of seizing the territory, a situation that has led to the villagers to leave their homes and try to find new directions. Added to this are death threats against social leaders and community councils who are present in this jurisdiction.

Through the Human Rights Network of the Pacific Nariñense and the Pie de Monte Costero and other groups, public complaints were established to alert about these events. In addition, both national and international organizations have been required to intervene in the area in order to carry out tasks of prevention and defense of the lives of the social actors who are in the area, where black communities and indigenous peoples predominate.

The letter rejects threats against Daniel Cabezas Rodríguez, Germán Arboleda, Luis Gilberto Quiñonez and Edwin Quiñonez, leaders of the Black Communities Community Councils in this jurisdiction; the threats were released after the dissemination of a pamphlet signed by those allegedly belonging to the groups residuals of the FARC.

The reasons for these threats confuse civil society, since according to the armed group, the above-mentioned leaders belong to paramilitary groups, statements that the Community Council rejects and stresses that this type of situation is putting the families and people close to those threatened at latent risk, arguing that these qualifiers are false.

These intimidating behaviors led these four leaders to distance themselves from their families and having to seek shelter in neighboring towns, since their lives were in imminent danger, and their names were left in the public pillory. These displacements were developed due to the history of threats in the region, which unfortunately is often met.

The statement notes that these violent dynamics are being carried out within the framework of the escalation of violence that plagues the Colombian Pacific and, mainly, in the Nariño region, where different armed groups operate as dissidents of the FARC, ELN and paramilitary organizations.

The complainants pointed to the National Government as one of the main perpetrators of this situation, arguing that the refusal imposed on the voluntary replacement of illicit crops. Likewise, they emphasize that this becomes a direct breach of the provisions of the Peace Agreement, which prioritized this activity in high-risk areas and the presence of drug trafficking.

It should be noted that Blu Radio found that since the previous week several inhabitants had to leave this town in search of refuge. About 150 families left the territory to nearby towns, as they say that the protagonists of the fighting do not consider the risk that civil society is at; many of the displaced arrive in the municipality of Barbacoas, where temporary shelter is located and these victims of the conflict are being assisted armed.

The transit to Barbacoas is complex, as it is necessary to use a boat and walk several trails to reach the destination, the routes can take up to 3 hours subject to weather conditions.

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