Cauca, Colombia: community leader killed and finance chief of armed group captured

Four people were shot dead in less than six hours in the municipality of Argelia, Cauca, including Yenny Guaina Baltazar, the president of the local community action board, and her husband. The attacks, attributed to armed groups such as the Frente Carlos Patiño, Frente Diomer Cortés and the ELN, have raised fears among residents and prompted calls for stronger protection of social leaders.

In a separate operation, the Gaula Military of Cauca and the DIJIN police unit captured John Heider Mestizo, alias “Sombra”, identified as the chief of finance for the Dagoberto Ramos criminal structure. Authorities said the raid disrupted illegal roadblocks used to fund drug trafficking and weakened the group’s national and international alliances. The operation also led to the arrest of alias Alexis, a security aide to the finance chief, marking a significant blow to the organization’s illicit revenue streams.