Communities in the Pacific coastal department of Nariño have reported an increase in arbitrary acts of violence against young people, especially women. Residents are left without protection or support as their homes become the locations of armed confrontations between the different armed groups that are present in the area.
On September 26, illegally armed actors arrived in the community of Nueva Isla del Consejo Comunitario Unión Patía Viejo and murdered Milena Valdez, age 26, an Afro-descendant community leader. Her body was found three days later in a state of decomposition. Milena Valdez was a member of the Unión Patía Community Council. According to other community members, the young woman was pregnant. Those responsible for the murder reportedly belong to the FARC-dissident 30th Front.