Denouncing Recent Killings of Indigenous Inga Peoples of Yunguillo, Colombia

Land is Life and Protection International denounces the killing this week of three members of the Indigenous Inga community of Yunguillo in Colombia. We are increasingly concerned with the growing violence against Indigenous Peoples and activists in the Amazon (since the start of 2018, 32 Indigenous leaders were killed in Colombia alone) and take threats to our partners and staff with the utmost seriousness. We continue to work to improve the safety and security across our operations and the activities of our partners.

Land is Life and Protection International strongly endorse the following statement (translated below) released by the Secretariat of Human Rights and Peace of the Zonal Indigenous Organization of Putumayo (OZIP) and urges the Colombian authorities to complete a transparent investigation into the killings:
We reject all acts of violence against members of Indigenous communities and we stand in solidarity with the community and families of ARMANDO MUTUMBAJOY, JAIME ALIRIO BECERRA CHINDOY, ELKIN FARID SIGINDIOY CHINDOY.

Taking into account the previous National Alerts issued by OZIP on July 7, 2018 regarding the (murders of the Embera Pueblo brothers in Orito Putumayo) and October 31, 2017 of the (Resistance Minga) we raised a call for attention to the National Government, reiterating the need to establish together with the competent institution mechanisms for the respect of the human rights of the members of the Indigenous Peoples of the Department of Putumayo, demanding that the following measures be adopted aimed at respecting the interior of the territories indigenous:

1. Establish mechanisms to obtain protection for the members of the Indigenous communities of the Department of Putumayo.
2. Prevent actions or omissions that entail that human rights be violated or threatened by agents of the state, members of illegal armed groups or persons engaged in any type of crime.
3. Investigate the behaviors and judge and punish those responsible for them.
4. To carry out actions in mass media aimed at overcoming the prejudices and stigmatization that currently affect the dignity of indigenous peoples for the defense of the principles of respect for culture, life, territory and nature as a source of life.