PBI-Colombia accompanies Justice and Peace as embassies visit the Alto Guayabal indigenous reservation

On October 8, PBI-Colombia posted: “At the end of September, PBI accompanied @Justiciaypazcol within the framework of the visit of the embassies @IrelandColombia, @NLinColombia and @SwedeninCOL and of the @ComisionVerdadC in the Alto Guayabal indigenous reservation, a week after the murder of Dilio Bailarín.”

On September 29, Irish Ambassador Alison Milton tweeted: “We visit the Alto Guayabal community, Jiguamiando. We are concerned about the situation and we sympathize with them for the murder of Dilio Bailarin. We call for a global humanitarian agreement now! To protect these communities. No more deaths!”

Dutch Ambassador Noorman also tweeted: “We visit the community of Alto Guayabal, Urabá. The situation is very worrying. We sympathize with the guard for the recent murder of #DilioBailarín and we call for a humanitarian agreement now! for the protection of indigenous peoples. No more deaths!”

Dilio Bailarín

On September 20, Contagio Radio reported:

“Dilio Bailarín, who at 5:45 in the afternoon about 20 minutes from the Alto Guayabal Reservation, was attacked with a firearm.

According to the information received, in 2020, Dilio and five other leaders were threatened and persecuted by members of the structures of the Autodenfensas Gaitanistas de Colombia, AGC, which operate in Bajo Atrato, Carmen del Darién.

In 2019, Dilio Bailarín was also a victim of the ELN, as the group tried to kidnap him along with another social leader, however, the community prevented the act.

At this time, human rights organizations, such as the Justice and Peace Commission and international humanitarian organizations are moving to the region to accompany the community that is in fear.

Dilio’s murder has shocked the Embera community and the international community that sponsors the peace-building process in the midst of the armed conflict in the region.

It should be remembered that the Alto Guayabal Biodiverse Humanitarian Reserve is a non-violent protection measure within the territories that are facing the extractive interests of multinationals that are unaware of the rights of the communities of the indigenous peoples.

The Justice and Peace Commission also denounced that despite the precautionary measures of the IACHR, the National Government did not adopt the necessary precautions to protect the life of the indigenous leader.”

The Peace Brigades International-Colombia Project has accompanied the Commission of Justice and Peace since 1994.