The violence in Chocó does not stop: Juana Perea, leader of Nuquí, is murdered

This October 29, Juana Perea was found dead and with “A gunshot wound to the head”, in front of the municipality’s Police station, located on the beach, as confirmed by the mayor of Nuquí, Yefer Gamboa.

The victim She was a community leader in the sector and ran an ecotourism hotel in Termales, Nuquí. She was 50 years old and the granddaughter of Andrés Perea Gallaga, who in 1945 was the first delegate of the Basque government in Colombia, according to his cousin Ana María Restrepo Perea informed EFE.

“With great nostalgia today we learned about his murder. This leaves a very bad message for the area and for security here in Chocó ”, Luis Perea, president of the Institutional and Community Group of Artisanal Fishing (GICPA), assured in Rural Week.

For his part, Mayor Gamboa stated that “The security situation of the municipality is very complex”, since they have a weak presence of the State and He even pointed out that until recently, the municipality had only 9 police officers for a community of more than 6,000 inhabitants.

“I talked to her continuously because of the role she played; He had not told me that he had threats. He told me about his concern about some pamphlets (which were circulated) recently in various municipalities of the country but no particular threat“Gamboa told EFE.

It should be noted, that Chocó currently experiences a strong presence of illegal armed groups that have increased violence in the region, which is why President Iván Duque visited the capital of the department, on October 19.

The president evaluated strategies to mitigate the delicate situation, such as strengthening the presence of the public force with social investment and the arrival of 50 new police officers, to avoid the recruitment of young people by criminal gangs.

On the other hand, Luis Perea affirmed that an emissary from the Mayor’s Office, senior commanders of the Navy and the National Police advance a security council on the case with the mayor, Yefer Arley Gamboa, to establish the steps to follow in the investigation.

“One is dismayed because the security situation is very complex. Last week they also assassinated Mr. Fernando Vega, the wave of violence has been growing in recent days“Luis Perea added to the magazine.

Friends of Juana Perea, such as Katty Sutton, president of the Chocó Surf League, recognized that the leader “represented all the good that was in that region” and recalled her saying:

Juana was like everyone’s mother, she was a light for the community in the area. Where they needed her, she was there, whether it was to raise her voice against the port of Tribugá, to support the Chocó Surf League or whatever. He had his hand extended to help everyone in need.

According to Mayor Gamboa, Juana Perea was working on tourism issues with the Nuquí community, a municipality located about 50 minutes by plane from Quibdó and known for being one of the best places in the world for whale watching.

“Juana Perea had been leading a tourism issue; I had been working now, on the issue of covid, with protection issues and biosecurity protocols for tourist inns, and He was the leader of the hoteliers union of the municipality of Nuquí”Confirmed Gamboa.

According to Eugenio Mosquera, social leader of Chocó, At least six illegal armed groups are present in the territory, fighting for drug trafficking routes. “If we were not in a pandemic, the dead would be many more,” he stated on Caracol Radio, on October 19.

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