The dust had barely settled on Colombia’s presidential election first round when threats against Historic Pact supporters and human rights activists were circulated in the town of Puerto Wilches, department of Santander. Paramilitary group the Self-Defence Conquerors of the Sierra Nevada (ACSN) is believed responsible for declaring a number of political and social activists as ‘military objectives’ and ‘guerrillas’ and ordering them to leave the zone within 48 hours.
The regional CREDHOS human rights group said the ACSN threats were issued almost as soon as the election results were confirmed and said, ‘[t]his threat, carried out in the context of the presidential elections, represents coercion against members of the Historical Pact political party and an attack on the democratic exercise of political participation.’
Far-right presidential candidate Abelardo de la Espriella broadly outperformed progressive senator Iván Cepeda in Santander. However, Cepeda won in two municipalities, Puerto Wilches and the city of Barrancabermeja. Activists fear the threats could be reprisals for results that saw Cepeda gain 55.6 per cent of the vote in Puerto Wilches, 20 per cent more than De la Espriella.
The threats occurred amid escalating insecurity in Santander’s Magdalena Medio and neighbouring zones, as the ACSN competes against rival armed groups for territorial control and illicit economies. Tensions have also escalated in Puerto Wilches over the issue of fracking, which is currently prohibited amid growing pressure to exploit the zone’s hydrocarbons.
CREDHOS called on authorities to ‘coordinate and implement effective strategies to guarantee the protection of lives and the continued presence in the territory of social and political leaders and human rights defenders in Puerto Wilches and the Magdalena Medio region.’
Insecurity has been a major issue during elections as fighting between armed groups and their territorial expansion has seen violence worsen in a number of regions. While Cepeda has pledged to seek peace settlements through dialogue, De la Espriella plans to intensify armed confrontation, a policy which has previously had devastating impacts on communities in conflict zones.