• Urgent Action

Urgent Action Update: Confined Communities In Riosucio, Chocó (Colombia: UA 178.17)

December 6, 2017

Several Embera Indigenous communities and the Afro-descendent community of Taparal in the department of Chocó, Colombia, find themselves confined and terrified due to the presence of the Gaitanistas Self-Defence Forces of Colombia (Autodefensas Gaitanistas de Colombia, AGC), and due to the possibility of them clashing with the National Liberation Army (Ejército De Liberación Nacional, ELN) in their communities.

Several Embera Indigenous communities and the Afro-descendent community of Taparal in the department of Chocó, Colombia, find themselves confined and terrified due to the presence of the Gaitanistas Self-Defence Forces of Colombia (Autodefensas Gaitanistas de Colombia, AGC), and due to the possibility of them clashing with the National Liberation Army (Ejército De Liberación Nacional, ELN) in their communities. 1) TAKE ACTION Write a letter, send an email, call, fax or tweet:
  • Demanding a comprehensive State presence responsible for guaranteeing the rights to life, integrity and security of Indigenous and Afro-descendent peoples in at-risk areas in Chocó due to the presence of armed groups;
  • Calling for immediate collective protection measures for these communities, which guarantee the life and integrity of Indigenous and Afro-descendent leaders and community members, based on consultation with these individuals and in accordance with their wishes;
  • Requesting a comprehensive State response in order to execute prevention and protection plans for displaced Indigenous communities, or those at risk of forced displacement, in compliance with Decree 004 from 2009 of the Constitutional Court.

Contact these two officials by 16 January, 2018:

President Juan Manuel Santos Presidente de la República Palacio de Nariño, Carrera 8 No.7-26 Bogotá, Colombia Email: [email protected] Salutation: Dear Mr. President/ Estimado Señor Presidente

Ambassador Camilo Reyes, Embassy of Colombia 1724 Massachusetts Ave NW, Washington DC 20036 Phone: 202 387 8338 I Fax: 202-232-8643 Email: [email protected] Salutation: Dear Ambassador

2) LET US KNOW YOU TOOK ACTION Click here to let us know if you took action on this case! This is Urgent Action 178.17 Here’s why it is so important to report your actions: we record the actions taken on each case—letters, emails, calls and tweets—and use that information in our advocacy. ADDITIONAL RESOURCES