While Colombia may have signed a peace deal in 2016 with the notorious FARC guerrilla movement, terrible atrocities still occur. The latest is the discovery of a mass grave in which eight religious and social leaders were buried after being murdered in April.
The prosecutor’s office claims that the killings were conducted by Frente Armando Ríos, an offshoot of FARC. The six men and two women were allegedly called to a meeting by the group, who wanted to investigate rumours that a rival militia might be setting up a cell in the local area.
Their bodies were found by Colombian security services in the Calamar area, where Frente Armando Ríos is known to be active.
Family members of the deceased attempted to contact Frente Armando Ríos. The group reportedly denied ever summoning the victims but later hinted that the family members should stop looking for their loved ones and should “consider the case to be closed”.
FARC is a revolutionary communist organisation and has a history of restricting religious freedom in areas it controls. Religious leaders who ignore their demands have often been abducted or assassinated.
The President of Colombia, Gustavo Petro, condemned the murder of the eight people. He said on X, “These acts are a grave affront to the right to life, religious freedom, and the spiritual and community work that so many people carry out in regions historically ravaged by violence.
“As President of the Republic, I stand in solidarity with their families, their faith communities, and all those who feel this pain today. I urgently call on state institutions to redouble their efforts to protect those who lead through faith, care for others, and peace. It is the state’s duty to ensure their safety and to guarantee that these crimes are neither repeated nor go unpunished.”
Christian Solidarity Worldwide, which campaigns for religious freedom, said it appreciated the actions of the Colombian government in getting to the bottom of the disappearances, but said they were concerned about the slowness of its response.
The group's Director of Advocacy, Anna Lee Stangl, said, “We urge the government to pursue similar efforts to provide answers as to the whereabouts of countless others who have been forcibly disappeared by illegal armed or criminal groups over the course of the country’s decades-long internal conflict.
“We reiterate our alarm that conflict-related violence in many parts of Colombia has reached levels last seen decades ago.
"We call on the government to implement effective security measures for communities, and in particular those in leadership positions, including religious leaders, in areas where illegal armed and criminal groups are active.
"We also demand that the leaders of illegal armed and criminal groups cease their targeting of civilians and engage with the government to establish a just and lasting peace.”
