José Manuel Pana Epieyú, a traditional elder from the Karaquita indigenous reserve in a rural area of Maicao, was murdered on 13 September. According to witnesses, the murder took place on the road between Maicao and Riohacha in La Guajira when José Manual was intercepted by armed men who forced him to get out of his car.

José Manuel was a member of the Autonomous Council of Palabreros for Human Rights and was renowned as a leader among the indigenous communities for his work as a palabrero or pütchipü, a person responsible for resolving conflicts in Wayuu indigenous communities through dialogue.

The National Indigenous Organization of Colombia condemned the murder of José Manuel saying, “To murder a Palabrero is to attack the reconciliation of words, of Wayuu words. We reject this and demand swiftness in the investigation which respects the Wayuu culture”.

Fuente: Resumen Latinoamericano