WOLA Sends Letter to Colombian Government in Support of Wounaan Phobor Community

On Tuesday, October 9^th, the Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA) sent a letter to Dr. Nubia Elena Pacheco Gómez, Director of Ethnic Affairs for the National Land Agency of Colombia. The letter urges the Colombian National Land Agency to express full support for the 32 families of the Wounaan Phobor community in their efforts to acquire an ample amount of living space for their families and community to thrive.

Currently, the community has been sharing less than half of a hectare of land given to it after forced displacements from its ancestral territory in southern Chocó over 4 years ago. Constrained by inhumane living conditions, the Wounaan Phobor community has pushed for a 74 hectare plot of land in the Valle del Cauca Department since 2016 and is yet to hear from the National Land Agency. WOLA hopes the Colombian government will act swiftly to resolve this issue.

A copy of the letter that was sent to Dr. Gómez can be found here.