6 Leftists Killed in West Colombia; Rightists Blamed
Six activists in the leftist Patriotic Union were killed in western Colombia, the party reported Wednesday. It blamed the deaths on right-wing death squads.
The six politicians were killed Tuesday night by unidentified gunmen in Unguia, Choco state, 290 miles west of Bogota, as they wrapped up their electoral campaign for the congressional contest scheduled next month, party spokesman Boris Cabrera said.
The politicians were discussing the campaign in the doorway of one of the leaders’ homes when men passing on a motorcycle opened fire with machine guns, the spokesman said.
“The members of the directory board of the Patriotic Union in Unguia were killed by the forces of the right,” he said.
The Patriotic Union was formed in the mid-1980s by former guerrillas and Communist politicians. Detractors say the union is a political front for the leftist guerrillas who are waging war on the government. The party denies the charges.
A wave of violence has swept the country in advance of the March 11 congressional elections and the May presidential contest, which Communist rebels have vowed to sabotage.
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