One of Four People Abducted in Rural Antioquia Released Alive

The president of a community action board in Liberia, a rural district of Anorí in Colombia’s Antioquia department, has been released alive after being abducted with three other people.

Antioquia Governor Andrés Julián Rendón said heavily armed men linked to the Gulf Clan carried out the abductions. The criminal group is involved in a territorial dispute in the subregion, according to the governor’s account.

Human rights organizations and residents said the rapid mobilization of people in the countryside, together with their direct demands, helped persuade the armed group to release the community leader. His return was welcomed locally as a victory for civilians.

But three young people taken in the same incident remain unaccounted for. Their whereabouts and health are unknown. Security forces and Antioquia authorities are coordinating efforts to locate them, while residents are demanding respect for the detainees’ lives and an immediate end to attacks on civilians.