Excmo. Sr. Presidente Gustavo Petro Urrego President of the Republic of Colombia contacto@presidencia.gov.co | Sra. Luz Adriana Camargo Attorney General of Colombia |
November 26, 2025
Dear President Petro and Attorney General Camargo:
We are writing with concern for the Indigenous Wounann community of the Santa Rosa de Guayacán Biodiversity and Humanitarian Reserve, located on the Lower Calima River in Buenaventura, Valle del Cauca Department. They are facing risk of forced displacement.
At approximately 5:00pm on November 14, armed men were seen near the community of Guadual in the Lower Calima area. On November 15 at 2:00pm, six armed men dressed in black entered the hamlet, which is an exclusive area for the civilian population—home 30 families, totaling 166 Wounann residents. In November 2020, the Inter-American Commission of Human Rights issued precautionary measures, requesting that the government take action to protect their lives and freedom of movement. The reserve is demarcated and clearly marked with fences indicating the prohibition of entry for armed individuals.
The armed men disregarded this prohibition, storming into the hamlet and going through all the houses. Ignoring community members’ demands that they withdraw, the armed men (who did not identify themselves) began asking who the main leaders were, where they lived, how many young people were in the community, and what they did for a living. The armed men remained in the area for approximately one hour, leaving the community in a state of tension, fear, and anxiety in the face of a potential new displacement. The communities have already been displaced four times because of armed groups vying for social and territorial control in the region.
It is our understanding that some federal agencies are required to respond to rulings that have been issued in favor of the rights of these communities, including the National Protection Unit (UNP), the National Land Agency (ANT), the Rural Development Agency (URT), the Victims Unit, and the Ministries of Health, Education, and Housing, as well as the Colombian Institute for Family Welfare (ICBF).
We strongly urge that authorities:
(1) establish perimeter control to ensure the security of the Wounaan community and protect their lives
(2) consult with residents of the Wounaan Santa Rosa de Guayacán community to devise further mechanisms to implement the IACHR precautionary measures to protect their lives and freedom of movement
Sincerely,
Brian J. Stefan Szittai
Co-Coordinator
copies:
CIJP: Comision Intereclesial de Justicia y Paz / Inter-Church Justice and Peace Commission ~ via email
Daniel García-Peña Jaramillo, Ambassador of Colombia to the US ~ via email
José Luis Caballero Ochoa, Rapporteur for Colombia , Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) ~ via email
UN: Scott Campbell, Representative in Colombia of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights ~ via email
US Embassy: John McNamara (Chargé d’Affaires); Adam Levy (human rights) ~ via email
US State Department: Desk Officer for Colombia ~ via email
US Senators from Ohio: Husted and Moreno ~ via email
US Representatives from Ohio: Beatty, Brown, Jordan, Joyce, Kaptur, Latta, Miller, Rulli, Sykes ~ via email
16 NOV 2025_CIJP_Colombia
