Colombia: Indigenous murder heightens tensions

Relations between Colombian president Alvaro Uribe (image) and the country’s indigenous community have been uneasy for quite a while now. Unfortunately, things have worsened with an eye-raising murder several days ago.

On Tuesday the husband of a prominent indigenous leader was killed by the army. Edwin Legarda died hours after his vehicle was fired upon by soldiers near an indigenous reservation. (Legarda was the husband of Ayda Quilcué, a leader of the Regional Indigenous Council of Cauca or CRIC).

Authorities alleged that Legarda was fired upon after ignoring orders to stop at a military checkpoint, a claim supported by Uribe. Yet several eyewitnesses denied the existence of the roadblock and accused the army of premeditated murder:

One of the groups affiliated with the CRIC said Tuesday that a total of 17 shots were fired and that they entered through the windshield and the sides of the vehicle.

It was "a criminal attack against (Quilcue's) vehicle," the group said in a statement, citing witnesses who said there was no checkpoint on the road and no order to stop was issued by the troops…

Defense Minister Juan Manuel Santos earlier Wednesday had denied allegations that the killing was premeditated, saying that soldiers committed a mistake when they fired the gunshots.

The incident has been condemned by several international groups including the U.N. and Amnesty International.

Image- BBC News
Sources- The Latin Americanist, IPS, semana.com, ReliefWeb, Colombia Reports, IAHT, CNN, AP