Johan Alexis Vargas

he Afro-descendant leader Johan Alexis Vargas, member of the National Coordination of Afro-Descendant Organizations and Communities, was murdered. He had recently received death threats. As many other Afro-descendant leaders of the Pacific area of ​​Nariño.

Johan Alexis belonged to the National Coordination of Afro-Descendant Organizations and Communities and Patriotic March.

The crime took place at 8:30 on the night of Sunday, January 21, 2016 at the path San Luis Robles, belonging to the Community Council El Rescate Las Varas, rural area of ​​the municipality of Tumaco. The authorities could establish that Mario was killed by at least 7 shots in different parts of the body.

Spokespersons from the community whose identity was not revealed for security reasons, said that the crime of the Afro leader is attributed to the Gaitanista Self-Defense Forces who commit crimes in the coastal corridor and the Nariño piedmont. Johan is the second leader killed in less than a year in the area.

On August 3, 2015, Genaro García, another Afro-descendant leader from Tumaco, was attacked by unknown perpetrators when he was mobilized with two comrades of the Alto Mira and Frontera Community Council in an area under FARC guerrilla control. At the end of that month from Havana, the FARC delegation recognized that guerrillas from the column ‘Daniel Aldana’ were the authors.


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Region:Americas

Country:Colombia

Department/Province/State:Narino

Sex1:Male

Age:25

Date of Killing:21/01/2016

Previous Threats:Yes

Type of Work:Social leader

Organisation:Coordinación Nacional de Organizaciones y Comunidades Afrodescendientes y Marcha Patriótica

Sector or Type of Rights the HRD Worked On:Civil and Political Rights, ESC Rights

Sector Detail:Afro Descendant Rights

More information:Front Line Defenders

1This database records an individual's chosen gender identity. If they do not self-identify as male or female they can use the option of recording other/neither or use the term NBGI (non binary gender identity).