Chocó: 500 indigenous people displaced by armed group conflict

Approximately 500 members of the Emberá Dobidá indigenous community from Villa Nueva, in the Nuquí municipality of Chocó, have been forcibly displaced. The displacement occurred on November 1 following violence and territorial disputes between the Eln and Clan del Golfo armed groups.

The Ombudsman’s Office attributed the exodus to fear generated by these groups. The emergency follows the killing of Ramiro Forastero, a former indigenous leader and governor of the Villa Nueva Jurubidá territory, and his son, Elmer Forastero. According to the Institute for Studies for Development and Peace (Indepaz), the pair were kidnapped on October 24 and their bodies were discovered on October 28.

The displaced population, which includes children, women, and elderly people, initially sought refuge in Jurubirá before moving to the municipal seat of Nuquí, where they are currently staying in a local coliseum.