Twenty-five year old Omar Bisbicus was a member of the Awa peope and a leader of the indigenous rights organisation Camari in the state of Narino. On 30 November 2020, Omar was travelling by motorbike between the villages of Llorente and La Guayacana. He had just passed through the village of Ricaurte when he was flagged down by a group of armed men who shot him ten times and left him dead on the side of the road. They also stole his motorbike, wallet and mobile phone.
According to community leader Niber Moreano, “this latest killing has brought to ten the number of members of the Awa people killed so far in 2020. Unfortunately in that area of Llorente from Diviso downwards, there are many groups and it is as if there is no law, and no government in this country. It is a territory with neither God nor law.”
According to the community there is a heavy presence of dissident elements of the FARC, paramilitary groups and drug dealers. They have repeatedly called for a stronger state presence in the area.
According to CERAC (Centro de Recursos Para El Analisis de Conflictos), which analyses political violence in Colombia, the number of killings that took place between January and November 2020, had increased by 40% over the same period in the previous year.