Colombian Black People Leader Suffers Attack in Arauca

On Monday, the Colombian Afro-descendant leader Beatriz Mosquera escaped unharmed from an attack in the department of Arauca, where gunmen fired on her vehicle.

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The National Protection Unit (UNP) reported that the vehicle in which Mosquera and her nephew were traveling was "impacted and immobilized" when they were driving at a point on the highway between the towns of Tame and Arauca.

"The group of escorts featured in the scheme put the leader in a safe place," UNP said, adding that "there are no injuries."

Mosquera told local media that she was traveling to Arauca when "subjects armed with rifles" demanded that they stop.

"Our escorts accelerated and that's when they shot us. The scare was very big, but it didn't go beyond that," she said, adding that the shots hit the tires of the car, which was left stranded.

Last week, the Ombudsman's Office reported that 157 Colombian social leaders were killed between January and September of this year.

“I make a new call to the illegal armed groups to respect the life and integrity of the leaders and human rights defenders. They play a fundamental role in guaranteeing the rights of communities and strengthening democracy in the regions“, Ombudsman Carlos Camargo said, as reported by outlet Awutar.