Eduardo Campo Chá, a member of the Nasa indigenous guard, was killed in rural La Plata, Huila, by the Dagoberto Ramos dissident group. The attack happened as he returned from a meeting on a motorcycle and confirms recent threats against indigenous leaders. Indigenous authorities condemn the act as an assault on territory and autonomy.
On Tuesday night around 8:30 p.m., Eduardo Campo Chá, 34 years old and a member of the Ancestral Territory Pickwe Tha Fiw community, was shot in the El Cacique sector, Lucitania vereda, La Plata municipality, Huila. He was heading back to his home in the La Esmeralda settlement, Ricaurte Páez corregimiento, after attending a meeting of indigenous leaders and guards in the Mariana Mandiguga territory, Caloto, Huila. Witnesses say two members of the Dagoberto Ramos column, led by alias 'David' or 'Mi Pez' and part of the Isaías Pardo bloc under alias 'Iván Mordisco', stopped his motorcycle. Campo Chá did not halt and was hit by seven bullets.
Aided by La Plata firefighters, he was taken to San Sebastián Hospital, where he died during surgery from severe injuries, according to Lieutenant Colonel Andrés Felipe Ávila Reyes, operational commander of Huila Police.
The Regional Indigenous Council of Cauca (CRIC) denounced the killing as the 'direct materialization of threats issued a few days ago,' in which the dissidents labeled coordinators, zonal supports, and indigenous guard members as 'military targets.' 'Eduardo did not die for being in the middle of the conflict: he was assassinated for protecting the communities, for upholding the mandate of life, and for defending the territory,' stated the CRIC, viewing the crime as an attempt to undermine indigenous autonomy through intimidation and territorial control.
José Telesforo Coyo, news director at Páez Vive radio station, noted that indigenous guards monitor the territory, sparking disputes with armed groups. The Regional Indigenous Council of Huila (CRIHU) voiced outrage and demanded that the National Government clarify the crime, provide collective protection guarantees, and activate verification mechanisms by human rights organizations.
The Institute for Development and Peace Studies (Indepaz) reports that in 2025, eleven indigenous leaders have been killed in Cauca, including José Albeiro Liz Muchicon on January 27 in Páez. In 2024, there were ten in Cauca and one in Huila.