Along the Atrato River in Western Colombia lies the small town of Bojayá. Nestled within some of the most remote parts of of Chocó – the poorest state of the country – the residents of Bojayá are predominantly Afro-Colombian and Indigenous, and survive on fishing and farming. Bojayá is only accessible by boat from Quibdó – the nearest large city and capital of Chocó, and it is considered one of the most difficult places to access in Colombia.
But that does not stop Heartland Alliance International (HAI) from providing critical supports to the people of Bojayá.
Chocó’s isolation from the government and proximity to Panama have been especially appealing to illegal armed groups engaged in illicit arms and drug trafficking, illegal mining, and more. For generations, the people of Bojayá have been caught in a cycle of violence and displacement. Thousands have left the area and have yet to return.
In May of 2002, Bojayá made headlines worldwide as violence erupted between the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) guerillas and the United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia (AUC) paramilitaries over control of the Atrato River. During the fighting, a bomb destroyed a church where civilians took refuge. While the official death toll stands at 74, some estimate as many as 119 residents were killed in what has become known as the Bojayá Massacre. Hundreds more, mostly women and children, were injured.
Nearly everyone in the small riverside town was affected by the massacre, resulting in collective trauma, which can linger across generations and societies for years. For more than 15 years, the wounds of the Bojayá massacre have remained open. It wasn’t until 2017 that bodies were exhumed from a mass grave, and another two years until the remains were identified and handed over to families for proper burial and mourning.
Today, the community of Bojayá is in the difficult process of healing and rebuilding.
HAI has worked in Colombia for more than a decade, training local leaders and organizations to reproduce our proven models that help people and communities heal. Everyone heals from trauma differently, and trauma intersects in many different ways with culture, history, race, gender, location, and language. Our team of mental health experts helps guide the healing process for survivors at their own pace, on their own terms.
María Alejandra Torres, HAI’s Director of Humanitarian Programs, has been leading programs in the community since 2019. According to her, the difficult trek to Bojayá only underscores the importance of our work.
“These ‘missions’ to Bojayá are critical in order to ensure the protection of the community and respect for their human rights. We must maintain the channels of communication and transportation open, especially during emergencies,” added Maria Alejandra.
Despite a peace agreement in 2016 between the Colombian government and the FARC, the local population across Chocó lives in fear of renewed violence.
“The conflict has been systematic and is worsening in Bojayá due to the presence of different groups in the area, which means that people cannot tend to their crops, hunt, or fish. Health services are not sufficient either. There is a great need for HAI’s support,” says Eulogio Palacios Orejuela, Mayor of Bojayá.
Like the rest of the world, Colombia is responding to the health emergency caused by COVID-19. However, conflict-driven displacement in the region forces many people in Colombia to live in overcrowded conditions with limited access to water and food. In already poor communities, like Bojayá, the violence coupled with the pandemic have left many families in a state of insecurity.
In response, HAI has adapted its services to include emergency food assistance to the families in Bojayá. To date, we have reached nearly 300 families with nutritional packages that include enough healthy foods for a family of four to last at least two weeks. During these trips to Bojayá, HAI’s team also delivers socio-legal counseling aligned with Law 1448 passed in 2011, better known as the Victims and Land Restitution Law.
Colombia’s Victims Law and international standards require the government to provide displaced people with shelter, food, water, and essential health services. The government should urgently put in place measures that fulfill these obligations, and protect displaced people’s right to healthcare and other social services. We should not leave some of Colombia’s most vulnerable people behind.
