Puerto Asís pier in Putumayo, Colombia, on October 19, 2025.
News Release
December 5, 2025

Colombia: Armed Groups Strangle Southern Communities

Armed groups in Colombia’s southern state of Putumayo, have tightened their control over citizens’ daily lives and committed grave abuses against civilians, particularly in Indigenous communities.

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    A woman stands in the forest with her hand on a wire fence.
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    SOUNDBITES

    Toto Arara

    Every year, the invaders clear more land for cattle. Then they burn it.

     

    SOUNDBITES

    Givanildo dos Santos Lima

    Today, the biggest driver of deforestation in the Amazon region is cattle ranching.

    DATE/PLACE

    February 2025

    Cachoeira Seca Indigenous Territory, Brazil

     

    Powdem Arara

    I don't know why the government doesn't remove the invaders from our land.

     

    Pyjaka Arara

    We, the Arara people, are very afraid of ranchers.

     

    Maria Márcia de Melo

    The landgrabbers made me lose 17 years of work in a matter of minutes. Look! It's all dead.

    DATE/PLACE

    November 2024

    PDS Terra Nossa, Brazil

     

    Maria dos Reis

    We can't say anything, or the land grabbers threaten us.

     

    Cleve Gonçalves da Silva

    And it's very dangerous here in Terra Nossa. They've already killed many people in this settlement.

     

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    Invaded

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