Colombia's 41st Massacre Leaves Nine People Dead In Huila

The sign reads, "We are still getting killed," Bogota, Colombia, May 2021. | Photo: EFE

Published 31 May 2021

The massacre occurred at "Palmira", a farm whose owner is a signatory of the 2016 Peace agreement.

Colombia's Institute for Development and Peace Studies (INDEPAZ) on Monday reported the 41st massacre of 2021, in which eight men and one woman were shot to death in the Huila department.

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The massacre occurred at 7h30 local time at the Palmira farm, owned by a former Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) guerrilla member, who is currently working as a bodyguard for the National Protection Unit (UNP). 

According to witnesses, a group of unknown armed men broke into the farm and shot at the eight victims who were working there.

Authorities from the Army, the Prosecutor's Office, and the local police are on the scene to collect evidence and identify the bodies.

"The Palmira farm is well known in the region. In 2020, the family that inhabits it was forced to displace," Algeciras's official Gelvi Cabrera said and explained that this is the third massacre that occurs in the same place in less than one year. 

In 2020, the first violent assault occurred on July 16, when armed men killed four people, including a 16-year-old boy. The second massacre occurred on Sep. 22, when a 17-year-old minor and two citizens were killed by paramilitaries.
 
Since the beginning of 2021, human rights defenders have recorded 158 Colombians massacred. The Valle del Cauca department reports the highest number of victims so far this year.