Ombudsman demands response for two murders and five kidnappings in Ataco, Tolima
Colombia's Ombudsman's Office called for immediate action by the Colombian State following the murder of two people and the kidnapping of five others in Ataco.
Crime in Ataco: Ombudsman calls for State action after deaths and kidnappings in southern Tolima
According to eje21.com.co, Colombia's Ombudsman's Office demanded on Tuesday that Colombian authorities provide an "immediate institutional response" to the murder of two people and the kidnapping of five others in the municipality of Ataco, in the department of Tolima.
Among the fatalities are a 16-year-old girl and an adult. Family members and residents of the area also reported the disappearance of five people whose whereabouts and security conditions, according to the agency, "have yet to be verified".
"The seriousness of these events demands an immediate and coordinated response from the authorities to clarify the homicides, verify the allegations and guarantee the rights to life, liberty, integrity and security of the civilian population," the Ombudsman's Office stated in a communiqué.
The agency emphasised with particular weight the homicide of the minor, indicating that this case "demands a reinforced response that takes into account the prevalence of the rights of girls, boys and adolescents and their special constitutional protection".
The Ombudsman's Office also warned of the need to strengthen preventative and protective measures against the risks it had already identified in that territory. In an early warning alert published in 2022, the agency had documented an armed dispute between two dissident factions of the extinct Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC): the Central General Staff (EMC), led by alias Iván Mordisco, and Second Marquetalia, under the command of alias Iván Márquez.
The entity had previously warned of the humanitarian risks linked to the expansion of illegal mineral extraction in southern Tolima, particularly in Ataco, as well as of the presence of armed structures and the increase in threats to peasant, indigenous and displaced communities from the armed conflict in the region. The information was released by EFE.
Source: Google News CO — Crime