“Afro-descendant leaders threatened” - 13 February 2015

Leaders of the Afro-descendant community of La Toma in the municipality of Suárez, Cauca Department in south-western Colombia, have been threatened by paramilitaries as they campaign to stop illegal mining operations on the community’s lands. On 8 February, Sabino Lucumi, the President of the Community Council (Consejo Comunitario) of the Afro-descendant community of La Toma, received a death threat via SMS text. Also named and threatened were Eduar Mina, Coordinator of the Human Rights Committee of La Toma, Jhon Jairo Valverde, their financial officer, and Francia Márquez, their legal representative. The threat, signed by the Black Eagles (Águilas Negras) paramilitary group…comes in the wake of several death threats against community leaders in recent months as they have called on the national and regional authorities to take action to put an end to illegal mining operations in La Toma and remove the diggers which are being used by the miners…