Violence in Colombia Share This /

Antioquia

• SOPETRÁN: Nine bodies were found in three mass graves in rural Sopetrán, Antioquia police chief José Gerardo Acevedo said on Sunday. The bodies, discovered Saturday, appear to be nine of the ten people taken hostage from a local property, missing since April 24. Information obtained following the capture earlier this month of Jesús David Hernández, alias “Chaparro”, as well as information obtained from other sources, led to the discovery of the graves.
• YONDÓ: An ecopetrol pipeline was bombed in Yondó, a municipality in northeastern Antioquia on Saturday night. The blast, which destroyed an eight inch section of the pipeline, caused an oil spill in the area that was contained.

Cauca

• CALOTO: Three minors were wounded on Monday night in an attack at the Huellas reservation in Caloto. The children were sleeping at the time of the attack, in which at least four armed men began shooting in the reservation. One of the children suffered a head wound, another was shot in the abdomen, and the third in a limb. All three were taken to a clinic in Cali for treatment. It is believed that the 6th front of the FARC may be responsible, due to the use of AK-47s in the attack, but the group's responsibility has not yet been officially determined.

Chocó

• BETÉ: FARC guerrillas attacked the town of Beté Sunday, leaving one police officer and three students dead. The police officer was killed in the initial shooting, and the three students were killed later, as the FARC began shooting at three boats passing by on the Atrato river. The three students attended the Universidad Tecnológica del Choco (UTCH) and were identified as Heder Palomeque Valencia, 24, Elen Lorena Gamboa Palace, 18 and Paola Escobar Salazar, 20. Two other civilians were also injured in the attacks.

Guaviare

• SAN JOSÉ DEL GUAVIARE: Twenty six coca labs were destroyed by anti-narcotics police in the jungle of the Guaviare department, police said Sunday. The labs belonged to the 1st and 7th fronts of the FARC and the criminal gang, “ERPAC”. Police say the operation was a blow to the FARC's 1st front because it affects the finances of Marcos Fidel Suárez, alias “Kokoriko”, one of the most wanted FARC leaders in Meta and Guaviare.

Sucre

• SINCELEJO: Extortion calls made by Hernando Valencia of "Los Rastrojos" have allegedly plagued business owners in the capital of the department of Sucre, Sinceledo. According to one complainant, the caller demanded 5 million pesos be deposited in a Bancolombia savings account for protection from local crime. Although in the case of one shop owner, a second call was made in the presence of DAS agents, and similar complaints have been made, it is not yet enough to build a case. According to authorities the calls were made from a prison.

This post was written by CIP Intern Erin Shea