Five indigenous guard members killed by dissident guerrillas in southwest Colombia

Five members of an indigenous guard in Colombia were killed Tuesday in what authorities are describing as a massacre by a dissident guerrilla front. The attack occurred in the southwest department of Cauca, near the city of Tacueyo, and also left five guard members injured.

Dissident FARC guerrillas are said to be involved in the drug trade.

An initial investigation suggests the massacre happened in retaliation for the capture of three members of a residual front of the former Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). According to police, the FARC attackers are involved in

The indigenous guards were attacked by men in a black-colored vehicle, according to the Association of Indigenous Councils of Northern Cauca. They also proceeded to fire at an ambulance tending to the injured, the group said. Another vehicle, owned by a member of the guard, was pushed into a ravaine.

Dozens of indigenous and social leaders have been killed in the aftermath of Colombia’s historic 2016 peace accord as illegal armed groups and dissidents seek to exert control over for former rebel territory and lucrative drug routes.

“When will the massacre end?” the National Indigenous Organization of Colombia lamented on Twitter as news of the attack spread. The organization say it is also fighting with right-wing para-military groups that object to its fight for human rights.

Colombia’s indigenous guards protect their community and do not carry firearms. The Organization of American States identified one of the dead as Cristina Bautista, a spiritual leader with the Neehwe’sx community in southwestern Colombia.

President Iván Duque ordered military troops to respond to the attack site and vowed to hold all those responsible accountable.

“We condemn the assassination,” he said on Twitter.