After being forcibly displaced by violence, hundreds of people are returning to their home in Buenaventura in Colombia's coast, but they are returning to “precarious” situations, said the country's ombudsman.
At least 600 mainly Indigenous people from the Wounaan community have been returning to Chachajo, Agua Clara and Chamupuro near the city of Buenaventura in the Valley of Cauca.
They were forced to leave their homes in 2014 because of clashes in the region and threats from illegal armed groups. Many fled to the nearby city of Buenaventura, but began to return to their communities toward the end of November 2015.
According to the Ombudsman for the Rights of Displaced People Mauricio Redondo, hundreds of people are returning to abysmal conditions, including lack of access to drinking water, nutrition or electricity.
This is the afrocolombian community leader, Adrian Quintero, member of Patriotic March assassinated in Buenaventura. https://t.co/dObV5GRaS2
— Justice for Colombia (@JFColombia) March 23, 2016
Over 200 families were found to be without access to potable water, while four children have died from malnutrition since their return, said Redondo.
According to Redondo, these conditions are due to the fact that local, departmental and national authorities have not met their commitments to protect and provide for the region.
“In that sense, we ask local authorities that they clarify the circumstances under which the deaths of two children could have occurred upon their return, or to establish responsibilities or investigations,” said the ombudsman.
The region also continues to see a lack of security, with community leaders and activists facing constant threats from illegal armed groups known as paramilitaries.
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Just last week, community activist and black rights advocate Adrian Quintero Moreno, was killed by the paramilitary group known as the “Urabeños” in Buenaventura.
“There is a serious risk with the presence of illegal armed actors” in the region, said a statement released by the ombudsman, “which is why additional collective protective measures are needed for those leaders who have already been threatened.”
The ombudsman demanded that state officials act urgently to provide solutions and protect the rights of these communities.
Colombia has one of the highest rates of internally displaced people in the world, second only to Syria. The over five decades of armed conflict has killed more than 220,000 people, and displaced or disappeared millions.
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