UN warns of 'ongoing tragedy' as Indigenous groups in Colombia face extinction

The United Nations human rights office in Colombia warned Tuesday that five Indigenous groups in a storied mountain range face “physical and cultural” extinction, a critical threat that stems from armed groups fighting over their territory and insufficient state protection.

Scott Campbell, Colombia’s representative for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, said in a statement that the risk of physical and cultural extinction of Indigenous People of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta is "an ongoing tragedy that we can and must prevent.”