On the evening of 8 January 2015, an assassination attempt was made on the president of one of our partner organisations in Colombia. While he was fortunately not injured, the unknown men hit his driver with two shots to the head. The attack came as no surprise, as a member of the board of Unidad de Organizaciones Afrocaucanas (UOAFROC) had previously been appointed as a military target.
Our partner organisation Unidad de Organizaciones Afrocaucanas (UOAFROC) has been campaigning for the rights of the Afro-Colombian minority in Colombia for many years. The dangers of this commitment became apparent again at the beginning of this year. On 8 January 2015, an assassination attempt was made on the President of UOAFROC, Arie Aragon. On his way home, two unknown men fired three shots at him and his driver in Villa Rica. Two shots hit his driver, Jesus Andrade, in the head. Andrade had to undergo an operation in hospital and his life is now out of danger. Aragon escaped unhurt.
Government intervention required
In a press release, UOAFROC called on the responsible authorities to take the necessary protective measures and to take action against the terrorization of the Afro-Colombian minority by armed groups. The background to the attack is apparently the work of UOAFROC in the Afro-Colombian settlement areas. They are exploited for mining, despite the protection afforded by the Colombian constitution. UOAFROC is working for the land rights of the Afro-Colombian population.
Appointed as military targets
This attack was preceded last autumn by a death threat. At the end of September 2014, the paramilitary organization Comando Urbanos de Los Rastrojos sent a notice to various organizations and individuals that they had now been declared military targets. One of the mentioned targets is on the board of UOAFROC. In the same announcement, the Command demanded not to stand in the way of progress in the mining industry...
If you are interested in further news and want to stay up to date, please visit our newsroom or order our newsletter.
