Bojayá massacre

The Bojayá massacre (Spanish: La Masacre de Bojayá) was a massacre that occurred on May 2, 2002 in the Colombian town of Bojayá (with its urban centre also referred to as Bellavista), in Chocó department. FARC guerrillas seized the town in an attempt to take control of the Atrato River region from AUC paramilitaries, in the process killing approximately 119 civilians in an apparently indiscriminate attack with an improvised homemade mortar assembled with gas cylinders parts (known in Spanish as pipeta or Cilindro bomba).

As previously noted by the Colombian government, "the armed confrontation in the region between the guerrillas and the illegal self-defence forces is very violent due to the economic and strategic interests in play, including, among others: drug trafficking, the inter-oceanic connection, the development of megaprojects like the Panamerican Highway, and the proximity of ports and hydroelectric stations. The region furthermore represents advantages for these groups as a route for the import of arms and supplies from Central America and to provide favourable routes for drug trafficking."

At least 250 paramilitary combatants moved into Bellavista on 21 April 2002, and remained in the populated area despite protests by local residents. The UNHCHR sent an official communication to the Colombian government on April 23 expressing their concern regarding the presence of the paramilitaries and the possible consequences for the local people. The Ombudsman's Office of Colombia also visited the region on April 26 and released an early warning regarding the possible consequences of an armed confrontation in the area.

Intense fighting broke out on May 1 in neighboring Vigía del Fuerte municipality (Antioquia department), and spread to Bellavista later in the day. Residents took shelter in the local church, the adjoining parsonage and an Augustinian Missionary residence, with the total number approaching 500 over the course of the night.