Authorities in the department of Putumayo are investigating the motives and perpetrators of the murder of the social and community leader and his wife. | Photo: AA

Bogota, October 23 (RHC)-- In Colombia, social leader Sócrates Sevillano and his wife, Cielo Rujeles, were killed by unknown persons in the Colombian town of Orito, Putumayo department, bordering Ecuador, official sources reported Saturday.

Authorities in the department of Putumayo are investigating the motives and perpetrators of the murder of the social and community leader and his wife, whose bodies were found with bullet impacts in the village of El Pepino, rural area of the municipality of Orito.

"We regret this murder of the social leader and his partner, who were apparently killed by firearms," said the Secretary of Departmental Government, Carlos Gerardo Gonzales.

The local governor José Angulo pointed out that "there are already several leaders murdered so far this year.  We no longer know what to do.  Crime and insecurity have overflowed in this area, and the worst thing is that we only have 24 policemen who have to protect more than 50 thousand inhabitants of the area".

The High Commissioner for Peace, Danilo Rueda, informed on social networks that Sevillano, former president of a Community Action Board (JAC) and his wife "were murdered today" in the hamlet of El Mirador, which is part of the municipality of Orito.

In the municipality of Leguízamo, an extraordinary security council was held with the presence of the Minister of Defense, Iván Velásquez; the Minister of the Interior, Alfonso Prada, the director of the National Protection Unit, Augusto Rodríguez, representatives of the military and police leadership and regional and local authorities.

During the meeting, strategies to counteract the assassinations of social leaders in Putumayo were discussed.