Mapiripán massacre
The Mapiripán massacre was a massacre of civilians that took place in Mapiripán, Meta Department, Colombia. The massacre was carried out from July 15 to July 20, 1997, by the United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia (AUC), an outlawed right-wing paramilitary group.
| Mapiripán massacre | |
|---|---|
| Location | Mapiripán, Meta Colombia |
| Date | 15–20 July 1997 |
| Target | Civilians |
Attack type | Shooting, mass murder, massacre |
| Weapons | Chainsaws |
| Deaths | 30 |
| Perpetrators | AUC |
On July 12, 1997, two planeloads of paramilitaries arrived at the airport of San José del Guaviare, which also served as a base for the anti-narcotics police. The paramilitaries then traveled through territories where the Colombian National Army operated checkpoints.
On July 15, 1997, the paramilitaries arrived at Mapiripán, where they used chainsaws and machetes to murder, behead, dismember, and disembowel a number of civilians. Because the bodies were thrown into a river, it is unknown exactly how many people died but the U.S. State Department claimed in 2003 that at least 30 civilians were killed.
In proceedings before the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, the government of Colombia admitted that members of its military forces also played a role in the massacre, through omission. General Jaime Uscátegui allegedly ordered local troops under his command to stay away from the area in which the murders were taking place until the paramilitaries finished the massacre and left. Retired General Uscátegui was later prosecuted, put on trial, and subsequently acquitted. On 25 November 2009, the Superior Tribunal of Bogotá revoked the previous sentence, and condemned General Uscátegui to 40 years in prison.