BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — A rights group says dissident guerrillas in Colombia are leading a brutal campaign of violence.
A Human Rights Watch report released Thursday found that guerrillas are responsible for a surge in violence in the Pacific port city of Tumaco.
The group documented more than 120 victims of crimes including homicides, disappearances and rape over the last two years.
Jose Miguel Vivanco is the director of Human Rights Watch's Americas division. He says a boom in coca production, lack of development and difficulties reintegrating former rebels explain the uptick.
The 2017 homicide rate in Tumaco was four times higher than the national average.
Colombia signed a peace deal with Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia guerrillas in 2016.
Disclaimer: This is unedited, unformatted feed from the Associated Press (AP) wire.
