Six Killed in Massacre in Colombian Department of Meta

Six people were killed yesterday in the Colombian department of Meta, officials from the military have confirmed.

The massacre reportedly occurred while the victims were traveling between two small villages in the rural community of Mapiripán, according to the Bogotá-based publication El Tiempo.

Colombian magazine Semana has reported that members of the same family were killed, including two minors.

Speaking to W Radio this morning, military commander General Alejandro Fuentes first confirmed the incident, which was speculated about yesterday through media channels as being carried out by dissidents of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) who have rejected the nation’s peace process.

The general said on air that investigations are being conducted as to whether the killings may have been committed by a local armed rebel group known as Los Puntilleros, in relation to drug trafficking, or motivated by another factor.

The killings immediately drew comparisons to a tragic massacre in Mapiripán that occurred in 1997.

Colombian President Iván Duque said on Twitter that he has sent a top military commander to the area to investigate the incident.

“We condemn the killing of six people in Mapiripán, Meta,” stated Duque on Twitter. “I have directed military commander Gen. Luis Fernando Navarro to immediately travel to the area and form a Security Council in order to take actions that will clarify the facts.”