Source Contagio Radio

In the early morning of August 25, 60-year-old farmer Danilo Olaya Perdomo was murdered. He had served as president of the Community Action Board of the Alto Cachaya de Gigante village, Huila. With his murder two community leaders have been killed in this municipality in less than a month.

According to Óscar Prieto, technical advisor of the Surcolombian Observatory of Human Rights, armed men arrived at his estate, knocked out the manager of the farm and subsequently murdered the community leader with two gunshots. Although the motives for the crime are unknown, preliminary information insists that Danilo had not previously reported receiving any threats.

Danilo was a dynamic leader who was nominated and worked several times as chairman of the board, which represented the level of trust that the inhabitants of Alto Cachaya placed in him. He was also one of the largest producers of “panela” in the area.

When a community leader is killed not only are the rights of the victim and his family violated, but the rights of the entire community are undermined” said Prieto, stressing that Danilo constantly put himself under pressure to meet the needs of his community.

The assassination of Danilo joins that of Humberto Díaz Tierradentro, president of the Community Action Board of La Guadalupe village who was also a victim of homicide on July 20.