Four Kuna indigenous leaders were killed and three American journalists were kidnapped by a Colombian paramilitary group, ACUU, on January 18. Local residents say that a paramilitary group of 150 members brutally killed community leaders Ernesto Ayala, San Pascual Ayala, and Luis Enrique Martinez from Paya, and Gilberto Vasquex of Purcuro. In addition to the killings, paramilitaries also torched five houses, stole the contents of the village’s only shop, took hens, pigs and ducks, and killed dogs, leaving local residents with nothing to eat. Two days after the massacre, the National Border police had still not arrived to provide protection and aid. Only 50 of Paya’s original population of 350 remain, with the rest taking shelter in nearby areas, and Pucuro is completely abandoned. Panama claims that it can do very little for this remote and hard-to-reach area until Colombia tightens its security. The journalists, including Robert Pelton, a well-known author on assignment for National Geographic Adventure, have since been released to Panamanian authorities.
