The Informants of Tibú: How the Colombian State Unleashed a Wave of Femicides

A banging on the door echoed throughout the house. It was a Sunday morning in January 2021, in Tibú, a municipality in the Colombian department of Norte de Santander, near the Venezuelan border. “We heard the knocking, and I looked at my husband,” said Mar*. “We weren’t expecting anyone, and we were surprised at such insistent, forceful knocking.” Mar’s husband, Jaime*, opened the door and found six men in civilian clothes with long guns in their hands. The men identified themselves as members of the National Liberation Army (Ejército de Liberación Nacional – ELN) guerrillas and asked for Mar. They demanded that she come out of the house, as they had a message for her. “I was terrified, but I looked at my husband and then at my son and thought, ‘No, I have to go out, it’s worse if they break in,’” Mar explained. On her way out, she was met with hostile stares. One of the men — the leader of the group — stepped forward and addressed her. He accused her of being an army informant and told her that they were there because they had orders to kill her. The Informants of Tibú: How the Colombian State Unleashed a Wave of Femicides⁠ | Written by Alicia Flórez and Lara Loaiza, and narrated by Lara Loaiza. Visit ⁠insightcrime.org⁠ for more information.