Calls for calm as Colombia deploys ‘excessive force’ against protesters
- Death toll from violent street protests in Colombia rises as UN, EU and US call for calm
- Protests against now-cancelled tax reform morph into broader movement against government
The international community decried what the UN described as an “excessive use of force” by security officers in Colombia after numerous deaths during days of anti-government protests.
The United Nations, United States, European Union and rights bodies joined a chorus of criticism after official data showed 19 people were killed and 846 injured in running clashes with the security forces.
Colombia’s human rights ombudsman – a state agency independent from the government – said 89 people were listed as “disappeared”.
Tens of thousands of Colombians have taken to the streets in demonstrations that began last Wednesday against a proposed tax reform but have since morphed into broader protests against the government of President Ivan Duque.
On Tuesday, protesters blocked roads in several parts of the country, coinciding with fresh demonstrations in the capital Bogota and in Cali in the west of the country.
Cali, Colombia’s third-biggest city and the worst-affected by the ongoing unrest, has had soldiers patrolling its streets since last Friday on government orders.