Traffic in the Cauca and Arauca departments was once again brought to a halt after a series of road blocks and attacks against motorists that left four injured (see more on Violence associated with the conflict and Guerrilla Violence).

In Cali, installations belonging to the Cali Municipal Companies Workers Union (Sintraemcali) were attacked by unknown assailants (see more on Attack on union in the Valle).

Notice: the Daily Journal will suspend publication over the Easter holidays and resume publication again on Monday 21 April.

Violence associated with the armed conflict Peace negotiations FARC
Attack on union in the Valle Political Violence ELN
Guerrilla Violence Neoparamilitaries Our services
Violence associated with the armed conflict

Unidentified gunmen opened fire against cars heading toward the town of El Palmar in the municipality of Santander de Quilichao (Cauca). Four unidentified civilians sustained gunfire injuries. While the authorities are investigating ELN pamphlets found in the vicinity, the area is not known as a support base for said guerrilla group. As such, the authorities suspect the assailants of belonging to a criminal narcotics gang.

Unidentified assailants blocked a road connecting the town of Coconucos with the provincial capital of Popayán in the municipality of Puracé (Cauca). General Jorge Iván Monsalve, commander of the army’s Third Brigade, is leading the investigation to determine whether or not the vehicle contained explosives.

Meanwhile, in the municipality of El Tambo (Cauca), General and commander of the Army’s Apollo Taskforce, Wilson Cabrera, affirmed the death of a soldier, Miltón Tocomás, by friendly fire when a colleague of his mistook him for a guerrilla.

120 persons belonging to 22 families were forcibly displaced in the town of Arroyo de Piedra (Bolívar), in the county of Púa II, when unidentified gunmen threatened civilian populations and burned several homes. Women and children alike suffered burns during the commotion, though the total number of victims remains unknown. According to Afro community representative Hioscar Castro, police arrived after the gunmen had left, began firing off shots in the air and told residents they must leave before taking five people into custody.

This is the third time the community has been displaced by unknown aggressors: the first time was between 1999-2001 and the second was in 2011. According to Castro, in none these cases did the State ever intervene. The representative of the office of the Defense of Public Affairs for Bolívar department, Irina Junieles, said the case was being investigated.

FARC

The FARC harassed an army base in the municipality of La Montañita (Caquetá) next to the town of Unión Peneya. No victims were reported.

Updates: A second person, José de los Santos Vargas Estéves, was identified in the attack carried out by the FARC on 14 April that killed four people in San José del Guaviare, Guaviare.

As reported in the Daily Journal on 14 April, according to the office of the Defense of Public Affairs, around 756 people have been displaced within various towns in the municipality of Guapi (Cauca) due to skirmishes between the FARC and government forces. Yesterday, after receiving aid from the State, several of the displaced began to make their way back to the villages of Juanico and La Pampa, in Guapi. Nonetheless, an additional 180 people are still waiting for hostilities to cease before they return to their homes.

ELN

No activity by the ELN has been reported in the past 24 hours.

Guerrilla Violence

Unidentified guerillas used a cargo vehicle to set up a road block between the towns of Tame and Fortul in the municipality of Tame (Arauca).

Neoparamilitaries

The Permanent Committee for the Defense of Human Rights denounced unidentified neoparamilitaries for threatening human rights activist and Victims Restitution Unit employee, Estevis Pertúz, in Santa Marta on 12 April.

Political Violence
Attack on union in the Valle del Cauca

Unknown assailants attacked the union headquarters of Sintraemcali in the city of Cali with bombs. No victims were reported.

The attack came only two days after President Santos was asked to apologize to the union for accusations made against it by former President Alvaro Uribe.

A delegate from the Union of Southamerican Nations (UNASUR), Leila Rachid, asked the Colombian government to investigate threats made to various candidates running in forthcoming elections on 25 May. She did not specify as to whom was threatened or where the threats came from.

Keeping apace with the Peace Negotiations

There have been no developments in the peace talks between the FARC and the government in the past 24 hours.

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