The graffiti reads "The children of Bojayá want peace". Photo by Raul Arboleda/AFP via Getty Images, 12 November 2019
DOWNLOAD PDF OF UA 169/19 HEREAmnesty International is concerned about the forced confinement of 2,250 persons, including indigenous and afro-Colombian communities, in Bojayá, Chocó (western Colombia) who are under siege by the guerrilla National Liberation Army (Ejército de Liberación Nacional, ELN) and the paramilitary Gaitanistas Self-Defence Forces of Colombia (Autodefensas Gaitanistas de Colombia, AGC), groups that are denying them access to food and basic healthcare services.
On 17 November, the ombudsman's office reported that the armed groups threatened social leaders who oppose their presence in the zone. The ELN and the AGC are sustaining hostilities in the region and have even deployed landmines in the few areas with telephone coverage. This restricts the communities’ access to healthcare, food, water and communication.