Witness for Peace is extremely concerned about the ongoing human rights crisis along the Naya River. On April 17th three members of the Naya River community council, Obdulio Angulo Zamora, Hermes Angulo Zamora, and  Simeón Olave Angulo were disappeared. Then, just a few weeks later on May 3rd at least 50 people were displaced from the community of Juan Santos in the collective territory of the Naya River. Armed men entered the territory the day prior and surrounded the village in search of a community leader, a brother of one of the men who was disappeared April 17th.

Tell congressional leadership to act NOW to contact the State Department and work together to pressure the Colombian government to take immediate action to find Obdulio Angulo Zamora, Hermes Angulo Zamora, and  Simeón Olave Angulo and ensure the release of Iber Angulo Zamora.

Please send a letter through this page or call your rep's Foreign Policy Aide to ask that they contact the State Department to see that the US government undertake the following bullet-pointed action items.

We echo the demands of our partners in Colombia in asking that the US government pressure the Colombian government to:

• Ensure that the Defensoría (Ombudsman) and Victims' Unit have enough resources to promptly investigate the disappearances of Obdulio Angulo Zamora, Hermes Angulo Zamora, and  Simeón Olave and the kidnapping of Iber Angulo Zamora

• Ensure that the IACHR mandated precautionary measures are immediately enforced in consultations with communities along the Naya River in a manner that does not further militarize the area

• Work with communities along the Naya river to clarify the current state of implementation of Peace Accords

• Support and help organize a  meeting with the Follow-Up, Promotion and Verification Committee of the Implementation of the Peace Accords in Buenaventura or off of the Naya River

• Dismantle the (neo)paramilitary criminal structures operating in the Naya River area

Additionally, for your House member, Rep. Jim McGovern has a Dear Colleague letter on Colombian human rights defenders closing Thursday, May 17th. To see and sign onto the letter, please ask them to contact Cindy Buhl (McGovern) at cindy.buhl@mail.house.gov (if calling, please don't contact Cindy yourself, but please ask your rep's staff to do so: the default letter for this letter campaign page gives instructions for contacting her).