An indigenous traditional doctor was murdered in Toribío, department of Cauca, on Sunday 4 August.
Enrique Guejia, who was around 70 years old, is the 33rd indigenous leader murdered in north Cauca so far in 2019. He practised natural medicine and was a senior official in the Tacueyó community.
Enrique was shot dead by two men on a motorcycle as he was going to an homage to Gersain Yatacue, the indigenous guard murdered three days earlier. Altogether, three social activists were murdered in four days in north Cauca, following the killings of Gersain on Thursday 1 August and José Eduardo Tumbo on Saturday 3 August.
The Association of Indigenous Councils in North Cauca (ACIN) warned of a systematic campaign to target community leaders in the region. The ACIN said that paramilitary and other armed groups were highly active in the zone, while on the day of Gersain Yatacue’s murder, pamphlets in the name of Mexico’s Sinaloa Cartel threatening community leaders were distributed.
Cauca has been Colombia’s most violent region since the peace agreement was signed in November 2016. owing to the high presence of armed groups and the minimal state presence. More than 500 social activists around the country have been murdered in that time.