Yobani Carranza worked to defend the environment for his local community: it cost him his life.

Murdered local leader Yobani Carranza Castillo had worked on behalf of his community in Cesar to protect the La Mula river.

In Colombia, citizens who practice democracy and fight to assert the rights of their community are stigmatized and persecuted in such a way that the consequences they tend to have is death. This is the case of social leaders in our country. These leaders are a fundamental pillar within the most marginalized communities and regions of our country, where the state presence is almost null and where the presence of dissidents and groups outside the law prevails. Although in 2016 a peace agreement was signed, it cannot be said that Colombia has lived a period of stable peace, because the threats and persecutions to these leaders have not stopped and have continued to perpetuate in such a way that the rates continue to increase (Indepaz). The hard work of these leaders has been so essential in order to represent and help their communities, that at the same time they have become a threat to these groups, and therefore under the shadow of these dissidents and illegal groups are the aggressions and assassinations of these leaders. Based on this, it is appropriate to address the case of Yobani Carranza, a 45 year old environmental leader in the village of Rincón Hondo (Cesar) who was murdered for his work for the benefit of the community; as of the time of writing, his case remains inconclusive and without clear explanations.

Yobani Carranza had taken up several leadership roles in his community. In the years leading up to his death, these roles had related to local environmental issues. Yobani became the defender of the La Mula river, which was being exploited by multiple companies dedicated to the extraction of materials. In his struggle to prevent them from destroying this river, which is a provider for the inhabitants of the town and is also a tourist attraction in the region, the problems for this leader were unleashed. His tireless work for the community and for the well-being of the river made Yobani become an indispensable figure in the village, which led the inhabitants to turn to him when there were problems related to public services or other problems in the community. In this way, Yobani, who had already been involved in mining works within La Loma and La Jagua de Ibirico, had made his way to enter politics. Belonging to the Liberal Party and later to Cambio Radical, Yobani had been able to reach the municipal council. All of his initiative and plans ended when the crime against Yobani took place on January 27 2021 in the 12 de Octubre neighborhood in Chiriguana, south of Valledupar (the capital city in the Caribbean department of Cesar). The leader was sitting on the terrace of a mechanical workshop, waiting for his vehicle to be fixed when he was approached by hitmen on a motorcycle; one of the assassins got off the motorcycle and shot him several times before escaping without being identified. Criminalistic units and police arrived at the crime scene to inspect the body and clarify the facts yet little has been established as of the time of writing (Semana). Unfortunately, this seems to be the norm with crimes against social leaders. For this reason, it is necessary to look at the local context and other cases which have occurred there in order to better understand the situation.

To continue with the study of this case, it is important to analyze what similarities this case has with different cases where social leaders have been assassinated in the region. As was previously stated, in the way in which Yobani Carranza was assassinated, we can realize the latent and repetitive pattern that is demonstrated in cases of violence against leaders, and this is the hired assassination. This modality is the principal method to end the life of the leader, where two people on a motorcycle travel to the site and shoot the person before fleeing. It is here where we can compare Yobani’s case with that of Luis Carlos Hernandez, a social leader who was murdered under the same modality and following the patterns of Yobani’s murder. What is most related between these two cases is that in the first place both crimes happened in Cesar, where the presence of the state is weak and where illegal groups prevail. Secondly, both had been involved in politics, one being a former councilman and the other a former candidate to the council. Thirdly, both were the friendly face of their community at the time of watching over the interests and needs of the population. In the case of Yobani for his work in defense of the community and its river, and in the case of Luis Carlos for being a member and representative of the departmental board of victims’ participation. Part of his responsibilities involved being the person in charge of supporting victims who had been forcibly displaced as a result of the armed conflict in Colombia. Luis Carlos provided them with the necessary tools for fair attention, reparation, and guarantee of non-repetition of the abuses committed by the armed groups (La Libertad Sublime). This shows us that although the context of the cases is different, the similarities between them are palpable, without leaving aside the fact that these similarities can be found in many cases of assassinations of social leaders across our country. It is these similarities and parallels that allow people to refer to this wave of killings as systematic violence against leaders. What is evident is that each killing leaves a family distraught and a community without necessary representation. The murder of Yobani Carranza left a void in his community, just as the murder of Luis Carlos removed a vital representative of his community. Yobani had been recognized locally and was heralded as “the defender of the river”. Having seen him brutally murdered, others in the community are likely to be hesitant when it comes to protecting the river. In addition to this, this leader also helped the community by transporting passengers between Chiriguaná and nearby towns. Although he was paid for this informal work, it was of great help to the community, since transportation services in this region are limited, just one more indication of the state absence that reigns in so many corners of Colombia. This state absence means that leaders like Yobani and Luis Carlos are necessary to ensure the interests of these communities are represented. Unfortunately, this same state absence allows illegal groups free reign in many parts of the country and when leaders are murdered, impunity also reigns.

In looking at this case, like so many others, one thinks about the most important question; why has this case still not been solved? This is something that anyone who reads about the events regarding Yobani and indeed any social leader in Colombia who has been murdered must ask themselves. The question is that even though a lot of time has passed since the event, the authorities have not yet given a conclusive answer and it is clear that this murder can be attributed to the armed groups in the region and perhaps even to the companies that exploited the La Mula river. Yet without a serious clarification from the authorities, no definitive conclusions can be drawn. The lack of state presence in the region is also an important factor as to why this case is still unfinished, because the marginalized regions affected by the armed conflict have not been a priority in the government plans that have been implemented in Colombia. In spite of this, we must recognize the difficulty of identifying the perpetrators of this crime. Since the modality of hired assassination is the one that prevails in these cases, it is often difficult to establish who has ordered the killing. Nevertheless, this should not be a valid excuse to let what happened pass and just file the case of Yobani and all the murdered leaders in the country. Such indifference is another factor in the impunity which surrounds these cases.

In conclusion, it is pivotal to express the disappointment felt when we see the precariousness of our past and current governments. We cannot ignore the hard work that Yobani did in his community as the voice that represented the needs and challenges with which the inhabitants of this township lived and surely continue to live. It is not enough for the government to express to Colombians its concern for the current situation of leaders in general. If they turn a deaf ear when it comes to taking action on this problem and do not give these leaders participation in the solution of problems, it will not do any good. The life of social leaders will always be in danger if the necessary measures are not taken in cases where those threatened request protection from the nation. Such protection sometimes arrives too late, and in other cases, it does not arrive at all. Finally, with this case, it is notorious how social work and actions towards the protection of the environment and nature come into conflict with other interests, especially in these regions where state neglect is so evident. Within these same regions there is no dialogue on the criticism, support, or rejection of large-scale commercial projects to be carried out within the community, and often, it is through armed violence that a “definitive solution” to these problems is given. Therefore if the situation does not change radically, the plight of social leaders in Colombia will never end.

*Article written by Lucia Barrera with assistance from Jhon Obregon.

References

Barrios, M. (2021, January 28). A bala asesinan a exconcejal de Chiriguaná en Valledupar. El Heraldo. https://www.elheraldo.co/cesar/bala-asesinan-exconcejal-de-chiriguana-en-valledupar-790539

lalibertadsublime, & Lalibertadsublime, V. A. P. (2020, May 8). Slain leaders like Luis Carlos Hernández represent the visible face of our sad reality. Home.Blog. https://lalibertadsublime.home.blog/2020/05/08/slain-leaders-like-luis-carlos-hernandez-represent-the-visible-face-of-our-sad-reality/

Observatorio de Derechos Humanos y conflictividades – Indepaz. (n.d.). Org.Co. Retrieved October 21, 2021, from http://www.indepaz.org.co/observatorio-de-derechos-humanos-y-conflictividades/

Rincón, R. (n.d.). Líderes sociales víctimas de la violencia en Colombia. Consejoderedaccion.Org. Retrieved October 21, 2021, from https://consejoderedaccion.org/noticias/lideres-victimas-de-la-violencia

Semana. (2021, August 17). Informe Especial. Semana.com. https://www.semana.com/nacion/articulo/informe-especial-la-aterradora-tragedia-de-los-asesinatos-a-lideres-ambientales-en-colombia/202100/