The leader of the government welfare initiative Familias en Accion (Families in Action) is killed by gunmen thought to belong to the FARC.
Zoraida Acevedo Vargas was shot in front of her husband and four daughters at her home on Sunday in the department of North Santander. She was 34 and had been head of Families for Action for nine months.
Jaime Rincon, Vargas’ husband, told El Tiempo that two men came to the house claiming their motorbike had broken down. They then asked for Vargas’ name. Once she gave her identity, they shot her three times.
Rincon added that the men had been at a Families in Action meeting the day before in the local community center. It was there that someone had identified them as guerrillas of the FARC.
Commander of the Police for North Santander, Colonel Antonio Victoria, said that he is not aware of any previous threats made to Vargas nor her family and that at this moment in time there are no clues about the perpetrators apart from the physical description provided by Rincon.
The funeral for Vargas was held on Tuesday in a different area of the department. The family have asked the authorities to provide them with assistance and protection.
Families in Action is a government initiative that provides food and education subsidies to indigenous or displaced families to support their health and school attendance of their children.
