Press Release - UN Verification Mission in Colombia

9 May 2020

Press Release - UN Verification Mission in Colombia


Bogotá, 9 May 2020 - The UN Verification Mission in Colombia condemns the murder of Wilder Daniel Marín Alarcón, a member of the Revolutionary Alternative Force of the Common (FARC) party, occurred on 7 May in the municipality of Bello, Antioquia. With Wilder, there are already 24 cases of murders, in 2020, of those who are committed to their process of reincorporation.

During the COVID-19 context, violence in the conflict-affected areas has continued. Since the beginning of the national quarantine, six murders of former combatants and at least 32 social leaders have been registered by national sources. Since the signing of the Final Peace Agreement, 198 people in the process of reintegration have been killed.

The Mission reiterates its concern, also expressed by the United Nations Secretary-General and the Security Council, about the killings of former members of FARC-EP who in good faith laid down their arms, of social leaders and human rights defenders, as well as violent actions against communities in regions affected by the conflict.

The Mission acknowledges the institutional and judicial efforts that are being made and hopes that these will lead to concrete results, including that those materially and intellectually responsible, be brought to justice. The Mission urges the deepening of measures for the dismantling of criminal organizations and their support networks to guarantee the security of former combatants, social leaders, and human rights defenders.

***