On June 28, 2018, Luis Erardo Fernandez Velazco, a teacher and native of the village of Loma Gruesa, drove away from his house in the village at about 2:00 p.m. approximately, heading for Huellas Caloto. Hours later he was found murdered with two (2) bullet wounds, in the area known as El Arrayan which is under the jurisdiction of the municipality of Caloto.

Luis Erardo Fernandez Velasco, was 33 years old and had been well known in the area for his community and social work since 2004 when he graduated with a degree from the Marden Arnulfo Betancur Educational Institution. He was also a traditional spiritual leader and was the founder and coordinator of a youth movement to help young people develop their traditional spiritual and cultural values. He was also the captain of the soccer team of his community.

Other issues that put the community at risk are the unexploded munitions or unexploded ordnance left by the armed actors in the territory during the conflict that represent great danger. On June 28, 2018, a young woman, 17 year old Ana Yamilet Yule Rivera was injured by an exploding grenade while doing field work on her farm. She received serious injuries to the chest and throat, but because she was transferred quickly to the local hospital she survived the explosion.

Another issue is the fact that on 29 June, 2018, rectors of educational institutions in the territory of Jámbalo, received calls from cell number: 3227970448, demanding money and saying that if they did not receive the money they would target the leaders’ wives and children. Leaders of the community while reasserting their territorial autonomy have called on the government to take action to investigate these crimes and protect the community.