Colombia’s Constitutional Court has ordered the Colombian defense ministry to organize the armed forces’ retreat from indigenous territory in the southeastern departments of Meta and Guaviare, local media reported Thursday.
The court said the presence of the armed forces disturbed the ancestral land of the Jiw and Nukak people inhabiting the area, arguing these communities had their fundamental rights violated by armed conflict and forced displacement.
The defense ministry was given six months to facilitate the exit of the military presence from the area.
Colombian state forces have maintained a strong presence in Meta and Guaviare due the abundance of illegal armed groups operating in the departments.
Indigenous in the southwestern Cauca department recently removed members of their military posts, also demanding the army to leave their territories.
