Indigenous leader Dairo Padilla murdered in Nariño; 68 human rights defenders killed in 2026
The murder of indigenous Awá leader Dairo Padilla in Nariño brings the death toll of social leaders and human rights defenders assassinated in Colombia during 2026 to 68, according to a report by the Institute for Studies on Development and Peace (Indepaz).
Indigenous leader Dairo Padilla murdered in Nariño; 68 human rights defenders killed in 2026
The Institute for Studies on Development and Peace (Indepaz) confirmed the murder of Dairo Padilla, a leader from the indigenous Awá community, in the department of Nariño. The organisation announced the crime through its official account on social network X, bringing the number of social leaders and human rights defenders killed in Colombia during 2026 to 68.
El Tiempo reported on Indepaz's statement, which once again demonstrates the systematic violence against those working to protect territories and collective rights in areas affected by armed conflict.
Nariño, located in south-western Colombia and bordering Ecuador, ranks among the departments with the highest violence rates in the country. In that region, various illegal armed groups compete for control of drug trafficking routes and unauthorised mining operations. The indigenous communities inhabiting the area often find themselves trapped in the middle of these confrontations.
Indepaz, an organisation based in Bogotá that maintains a detailed record of murders of social leaders, has documented these crimes in a systematic manner. The figure of 68 victims in just over five and a half months highlights the magnitude of the crisis. Previous years have shown similar trends, with hundreds of community leaders assassinated despite government efforts to implement protective measures provided for in the 2016 peace agreement.
Indepaz did not immediately provide information about the exact circumstances of Padilla's murder, nor about the place, date or possible perpetrators of the attack.
Source: Google News CO — Crime