On August 20, Fight for Humanity, together with the Nariño Humanitarian Group, facilitated a discussion about the violence in Nariño.
The Peace Provincial Council and the Nariño Governor, the president of the National Peace Council and the United Nations in Colombia and Nariño Humanitarian Group shared their views on how to develop solutions to better protect people in the region from armed violence. This meeting followed the recent massacre in Samaniego, in which 9 young people were killed by an armed group. In the context of COVID-19, a sharp increase in armed violence has been observed in Colombia: according to NGO Indepaz, there have been 61 massacres in Colombia so far in 2020.
The meeting highlighted the situation in Nariño at the national and international level. Following this discussion, the situation was prioritized in the agenda of the National Peace Council and a special session will be held on Nariño. During the meeting, participants also gave their support to the Action Plan: “10 points for peace in Samaniego”, created by the City Peace Council of Samaniego. Fight for Humanity will continue to support local initiatives to promote peace and protect people from armed violence.
The “Nariño Humanitarian Group” was created in February 2020 and is composed of several humanitarian and human rights organizations, including the Colombian Campaign to ban Landmines, the South Institute - Alexander von Humbold, Compromiso Humano and Fight for Humanity. The group signed an agreement with the Nariño authorities to advise the provincial authorities and Peace Council on humanitarian and human rights issues.