Six days after hearing the news about a new massacre in a rural area of the municipality of Algeciras, the bodies of the victims do not appear, which has turned the event into a mystery. According to versions collected from the community, on November 20, heavily armed men arrived at the El Silencio village and murdered four people. Since then no one has spoken, not the authorities and much less the civilian population.
Hernan Galindo
temadeldia@lanacion.com.co
6 days after the massacre was reported in the El Silencio village of the municipality of Algeciras, the event remains a mystery. The initial versions reported the murder of four people who were part of the ‘Iván Mordisco’ dissidents.
The massacre was confirmed by the national government and Non-Governmental Organizations, such as the Institute of Studies for Development and Peace (Indepaz), which counts the massacres that have occurred in the country.
However, everything has become a real mystery, since the bodies of the victims have not yet appeared. Even versions that speak of at least five deaths have grown stronger. There is also persistent talk that extortion money was stored in the house where the massacre occurred.
The disappearance of the bodies
The first version related to the massacre came on the morning of November 21. A social leader from the region confirmed the sighting of the bodies to the authorities.
The office of the High Commissioner for Peace reported that same day: “We reject the massacre presented in Algeciras, Huila, which today takes the lives of 4 people from us. Insisting on violence and indiscriminate attacks against the civilian population are deplorable acts that cannot continue. Peace is demonstrated with actions and this is the moment.”
The authorities did not immediately respond to the scene. They had previously established by third parties that there were traces and evidence of an attack with firearms and an incursion of people. “On the walls there are bullet holes, shots, and on the floor there are burned bills and documents,” said an official source from the Army’s Ninth Brigade.
However, as the hours and days passed, silence returned and it has not been possible to know what happened to the bodies of those murdered in this massacre.
In blood and fire
The closest version of what happened is that the victims belonged to the dissidents under the command of ‘Iván Mordisco’ and that they had been surprised by armed men belonging to the dissidents of ‘Iván Márquez’. Both illegally armed structures, the Central General Staff and the Second Marquetalia, wage a blood and fire dispute for territorial control in the east of Huila and in neighboring regions such as Caquetá.
It is worth noting that the massacre recorded last week is not the first confrontation these groups have had. Throughout the year, several selective homicides attributed to both factions have been recorded.
Recently, a private report warned about the growing phenomenon of fighting between different versions of the FARC dissidents and other groups in various regions of the country and the lack of reaction from the authorities. “Its relationship with other armed groups obeys local logic and interests.. The Central General Staff coexists with the ELN, the Gulf Clan and the Second Marquetalia in some areas, while in others it disputes their territory,” that report stated.
As in many areas dominated by illegally armed groups, the communities and even the authorities themselves refrain from publicly referring to these events out of fear of reprisals.
Regarding the massacre in Algeciras, LA NACIÓN sought an official statement from the command of the Army’s Ninth Brigade and other authorities, but found no answers.
91 massacres so far this year
The director of the DIJIN, General Luis Ramírez, confirmed to RCN Radio that 91 massacres with 308 victims have been recorded so far this year, compared to 88 cases reported in 2022.
According to the authorities, these massacres have been carried out mostly by common organized crime gangs in different cities, and for possible settling of accounts with the victims.
“It is essential to inform citizens that there is progress in clarifying 47 cases, which would indicate 52%, there are some cases that are being registered, there are others that are being advanced by the CTI. The Police have 57 cases and the Prosecutor’s Office 34. In addition, the armed groups are responsible for 13 cases and also cases carried out by individual criminal actors, this may be due to settling of scores, passionate issues, or personal problems,” Ramírez explained.
Likewise, there are 31 cases of massacres that the authorities are investigating the origin of those responsible. The departments most affected by massacres so far this year have been Atlántico with (9), Cauca (9), Antioquia, Norte de Santander (6) and Valle del Cauca (7) cases.
The Institute of Development and Peace Studies (Indepaz) reported that in the last 48 hours, six massacres were recorded with 21 fatalities, in Antioquia (Puerto Berrío and Briceño), Valle del Cauca (Jamundí), Huila (Algeciras), Nariño (Ipiales) and Casanare (Villanueva).
Leonardo González, director of Indepaz, referred to these new massacres, ensuring that they continue in the same areas of the country.
