Colombia drug cartels and rebel groups enforce their own lockdowns with violence

Human Rights Watch reports that drug cartels and rebel groups are imposing their own lockdowns in rural areas of Colombia and using WhatsApp chats and pamphlets to advise local residents of curfew hours, transport shutdowns, and other bans that are far more strict than those imposed by the government. They have murdered at least eight civilians. In some areas, violent gangs are preventing people from leaving their homes at all, in two provinces armed groups have punished violators by torching their motorcycles, and in some areas people who are suspected of infection with COVID-19 are forced to leave.

Writer: Joe Parkin Daniels

Publication: The Guardian