# Violence against indigenous leaders in Venezuela > Live situation record from CLSTR: https://clstr.news/situations/violence-against-indigenous-leaders-in-venezuela > Updated: 2026-08-12T11:09:35.000Z. Sources: 6. Developments: 2. Julio Rodríguez, a captain of the Jivi Ekunay indigenous people, was found dead in Bolívar state, Venezuela, following an eight-day disappearance. Reports indicate Rodríguez had been kidnapped from his home by suspected members of FARC dissidents. During efforts to locate him, a search commission of indigenous leaders and youth was reportedly ambushed in the Vincler sector. Attackers allegedly used drones to launch explosives, resulting in the serious injury and emergency hospitalization of an elderly man, Alirio Rodríguez. The human rights organization PROVEA stated that Rodríguez’s body was discovered near a road leading to the mining town of Morichalito. PROVEA has called for immediate investigations and sanctions against those responsible, noting that such violence is part of a broader struggle for territorial control in mining-rich areas by armed groups like FARC dissidents and the ELN. The organization highlighted that since 2010, over 48 indigenous people from various tribes have been killed by state forces or non-state actors in these regions. ## Timeline ### 2026-08-12: Indigenous leader Julio Rodríguez found dead after kidnapping in Venezuela Indigenous leader Julio Rodríguez of the Jivi Ekunay people was found dead in Bolívar, Venezuela, after being kidnapped by suspected FARC dissidents. An ambush involving drones also injured searchers. 2 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/indigenous-leader-julio-rodrguez-found-dead-after-kidnapping-in-venezuela ### 2026-08-10: Indigenous leader Julio Rodríguez found dead in Venezuela Indigenous leader Julio Rodríguez of the Jivi Ekunay people was found dead in Venezuela after being kidnapped by FARC dissidents in Bolívar state. 4 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/indigenous-leader-julio-rodrguez-murdered-in-bolvar-state --- Cite as: Violence against indigenous leaders in Venezuela. CLSTR, https://clstr.news/situations/violence-against-indigenous-leaders-in-venezuela