Seventy year old Miguel Tapí Rito was an indigenous leader of the Emberá Dobida people. He had previously been the governor and spokesperson for the indigenous communities of El Brazo and Bakuru Purru in Bahía Solano, Chocó.
On 3 December, 2020, Miguel was at home in the reservation of Alto del Río Valle in Bahía Solano when a group of hooded and armed men arrived at the house. They identified themselves as members of the AGC (Autodefensas Gaitanistas de Colombia) and asked him to go with them. They headed towards the river and when he did not return after several hours his family went to look for him. They found his body by the river. He had been decapitated.
After the killing approximately 900 people from the indigenous communities in Posa Mansa, El Brazo, Bakuru Purru and Boroboro moved out of the area because of the ongoing threat of violence.
The Human Rights Ombudsman’s office had previously issued an Early Warning Notice because of the high level of risk to the communities in the area because of the presence of paramilitary groups such as the AGC.
