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Social leader Neiver Pertuz defended the rights of his community in Remolino (Magdalena) until his murder in August 2022.
*Article written by Andrea Alvarado, Sebastian Cera & Laura Utria.
Colombia has been struggling with state abandonment for decades, particularly in its rural areas, where armed conflict, drug trafficking, and political violence have disrupted the social fabric and undermined the government’s legitimacy and authority. The roots of state abandonment in Colombia can be traced back to the country’s colonial history, where unequal land distribution, exclusionary politics, and racial discrimination created a legacy of social inequality and political marginalization. Despite efforts to address these issues, Colombia remains one of the most unequal countries in the world, with significant disparities in income, education, and health outcomes. Many parts of the country continue to face significant challenges in terms of security, access to basic services, and human rights protection. That’s why the figure of social leaders plays such a crucial role. They don’t have too much in common, their life contexts are different and their fights too. The similarities between them are primarily, they are people who are working for the welfare and rights of their communities. One thing that they certainly have in common is the dangers they face because of the valuable work they do. They have been, and continue to be, the targets of those looking to pursue profit at any cost, meaning not a week goes by without the murder of a social leader. In particular, the ongoing violence against social leaders, human rights defenders, and ethnic communities highlights the consequences of state abandonment in Colombia. This text will explore these issues by looking at the murder of one such social leader.
State abandonment in Colombian territory has caused deep consequences in the sphere of social leadership. One of the many consequences has been the murder of social leaders. This represents a critical problem because social leaders play a fundamental role in society as defenders of Human Rights, as well as preserving the welfare of the community. This work is fundamental in remote areas because without the presence of this leadership, some armed groups would have total control of these areas. Neiver Pertuz was one such leader who was murdered in the privacy of his home on August 28th, 2022. Neiver was characterized as a person concerned for the welfare of his community, and he exercised activism in relation to different human rights issues. Neiver had suffered threats from paramilitary groups the day before his murder, reportedly due to his participation in the truth commission. This entity was responsible for clarifying different events and situations that occurred in the context of the armed conflict that Colombia has experienced throughout decades. Neiver did not receive any help from the State to safeguard his life from the threats of these actors who kept their word and took his life. For these groups, Neiver represented a danger in the face of the different statements that could be made in the context of the truth commission. The municipality where Neiver lived has been scourged by armed violence, due to the presence of armed groups who emerged following the demobilization of AUC paramilitary forces. The inhabitants of the municipality of Remolino have said that "they (the neo-paramilitaries) arrive on the sidewalks, recruit, impose a whole show of fear and charge money to maintain a social order". This sad fact is only one of many examples where the State has not been concerned with safeguarding the rights and lives of social leaders, who, like the communities they represent, have been left behind and abandoned to their own fate.
The department of Magdalena, like many in Colombia, was severely affected by the armed conflict and continues to suffer from a poor state presence. This fact allows illegal actors such as the Autodefensas Gaitanistas de Colombia (AGC) and the Autodefensas Conquistadores de la Sierra Nevada (ACSN) to thrive and establish their own control of legal and illegal processes. Both groups appeared from the demobilization of AUC paramilitaries. Both groups try to control lucrative routes and economies in the department. And both groups are responsible for violence against social leaders in the department. Within the last number of years, the department has seen several social leaders murdered. In 2019, the year began with the murders of Maritza Quiroz and Wilton Orrego and ended with the murder of Nathalia Jimenez alongside her husband Rodrigo Monsalve. In 2020, there were 5 social leaders killed in the department, including that of 70-year-old communal and environmental defender, Alejandro Llinas. There were 5 more leaders killed in 2021, including political activist Francisco Giacometto and trans activist Cristina Cantillo. In addition to the case of Neiver Pertuz, there were two other leaders murdered in Magdalena during 2022. Curiously, all three of these cases occurred within 6 weeks of one another. Land claimant Frai Torres was murdered near Ciénaga on September 21st. Another of the situations where we can evidence the absence of efficient security systems in Magdalena, and again in the municipality of Remolino (like Neiver Pertuz) happened on October 6th, 2022 with the murder of councilman Carlos Julio Silva, a 31 year old man who was on his way to a nearby municipality in his truck when subjects on motorcycles approached him and shot him dead. According to different newscasts and magazines, this was an attack against democracy and the processes that were taking place within the department and the crime was linked to armed groups that exercise control over political decisions through assassinations and threats to the communities. At the time of writing (April 2023), there has thus far been one more leader killed in the department, the case of civic leader Milton Rocha Peña on February 19th. While Magdalena has clearly been deeply affected by this wave of violence against activists, the pattern is seen throughout the country.
Just as in Magdalena, the national situation is extremely worrying. According to INDEPAZ, there were 1,327 cases of murdered social leaders from November 2016 to March 17th 2022, of which 182 were women and where the departments of Cauca, Antioquia and Nariño were the most affected areas of the whole country. In addition, so far in 2023 (as of August 4th), there have been 100 social leaders murdered throughout Colombia, and yet the responses or security measures provided by the government are still not effective in the most remote areas of the country. This represents state power vacuums and the lack of protection for communities and the fulfillment of their fundamental human rights such as life and the right to free expression, since there is no single reason why these leaders are killed; there are cases of environmental leaders, politicians, people who support education or the improvement of people’s quality of life, such as the case of José Taicus Pascal, the first leader murdered in 2023, a 16-year-old youth belonging to the indigenous guard of the Awá people. Another example is Mariela Reyes Montenegro, murdered in Santander de Quilichao on the 2nd of January, who was a leader of the Public Service Workers and Employees Union (SintraEmsdes), where she served as Women’s Secretary on the union’s board. And not to mention others like Cristian Salinas, Alfonso Arteaga, Genivero Méndez, Arley Jaramillo, and many more, each with a different story and journey within the development of their communities. In the face of such violence, it is important to highlight the recommendations of the Truth Commission (established as part of the 2016 peace agreement with the FARC guerrillas) regarding the agreement on territorial peace that seeks to guarantee conditions of welfare and a dignified life of communities in the territories and build a shared vision of territory and the future in order to overcome the difficulties that have been deepened by the conflict. All of this is a way to improve social security in remote areas, and hopefully a step in the right direction in terms of guaranteeing the safety of social leaders throughout Colombian territory. If they are implemented and adhered to that is.
In conclusion, the Colombian territory is experiencing a grave problem regarding the guarantees of security for social leaders in remote areas. There are many examples of murdered social leaders which have shocked the country. However, many of these deaths occur without generating a sense of anger or outrage from the public. Every crime against a social leader results in a family tragedy and a weakened community. The figures are a shocking indication of the current situation in terms of human rights, and they only reflect the humanitarian crisis in Colombia. It has been difficult to face and overcome situations like these which cost the lives of leaders such as Neiver, and all the others mentioned in this article. However, it is hoped that if the state follows the recommendations of the Truth Commission, the situation can be better managed, and hopefully one day, social leaders and communities will be able to enjoy security and peace in their areas.
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