At least 10 people died on Friday in the city of Cali, amid the anti-government demonstrations that began a month ago in Colombia and were harshly repressed by the government of Iván Duque.
“Ten deceased people is the report we have today in the morning on events related to the protest and civil dynamics,” Cali security secretary Carlos Rojas said on Caracol Radio.
According to a police report, eight of the deaths were due to firearms.
The violence began early when a mob lynched a public prosecutor who had killed two protesters for blocking him on a blocked avenue.
Later, civilians were seen firing rifles alongside police officers, in videos posted on social media.
“In the south of the city we had a real scene of confrontation and almost an urban war where many people not only lost their lives, but we also had a significant number of injuries,” lamented Rojas.
The mayor of Cali, Jorge Ivan Ospina, regretted on Twitter that there were “distressing moments, a painful day, more lives have been lost”.
He also denounced the “pure and irrational vandalism” of some protesters: “These grotesque and violent events undermine the peaceful and legitimate mobilization. To the citizens who peacefully marched my respects and applause because they make proper use of their sacred right to protest, ”he added.
Duque militarized Cali
President Iván Duque ordered this Friday the deployment of military troops in Cali.
“As of tonight, the maximum deployment of military assistance to the national police begins in the city of Cali,” Duque announced after heading a security council in the city of 2.2 million inhabitants, where a touch of stays overnight.
In a month of a popular uprising, 49 deaths were registered throughout the country as of Friday, according to the official count. The Prosecutor’s Office established that at least 17 of the cases have a direct link with the demonstrations. But the NGO Human Rights Watch claims to have “credible reports” of 63 deaths, 28 related to the crisis.
