The United Nations has even described the country’s security forces as using “excessive force.
AFP reports that official figures show that 19 people have been killed and 846 injured in clashes with security forces in Colombia. In the wake of the tragedy, the United Nations (UN), the United States, the European Union (EU) and human rights organizations have all spoken out against the incident.
Colombia’s Human Rights Watch, a national body independent of the government, said 89 people were listed as “disappeared.
Tens of thousands of Colombians took to the streets on April 28 to protest what began as a demonstration against the government’s newly proposed tax reforms and evolved into a demonstration against President Ivan Duque’s government.
Protesters blocked roads in several parts of the country today, as well as starting new demonstrations in Bogota, the capital, and Cali, in the west of the country.
Cali, Colombia’s third-largest city and the place most affected by the unrest, has seen military personnel ordered to patrol the streets since April 30.
The Colombian Defense Ministry has 47,500 military and police officers deployed throughout the country, with 700 military personnel, 500 riot police, 1,800 other types of police and two helicopters in Cali alone.
The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) said today it was “extremely shocked” by an incident last night in Cali in which police “opened fire” on protesters, reportedly causing many casualties.
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