El CHRN comparte el siguiente comunicado de ACADESAN Consejo Comunitario General del San Juan, emitido el 24 de agosto, 2026. En Colombia, especialmente en la regi贸n del Pacifico, los consejos comunitarios son las autoridades territoriales regionales de las tierras manejadas colectivamente por siglos por las comunidades afrocolombianas. Fueron reconocidas como tal bajo la Constituci贸n de 1991 y reguladas por la Ley 70 de 1993.聽 ACADESAN es la autoridad territorial de 72 comunidades afrocolombianas con m谩s de 15 mil personas: abarca 683.591 hect谩reas de la cuenca del rio San Juan, principalmente en el Choc贸 pero que tambi茅n cubre 谩reas en Buenaventura (Valle del Cauca). A continuaci贸n, se incluye el comunicado de ACADESAN en el que pide un cese de fuego inmediato para que las comunidades puedan recuperarse del terremoto del 10 de agosto pasado.
Fighting provokes displacement and confinement of Afro-Colombian communities in Choc贸, hindering earthquake recovery
The CHRN is sharing the following communication from ACADESAN, Consejo Comunitario General del San Juan, issued on August 24, 2026. In Colombia, especially in the Pacific region, the consejos comunitarios, or community councils, are the local or regional authorities of lands collectively held and worked traditionally for centuries by Afro-Colombian communities. They were recognized as such under the 1991 Constitution and regulated by Law 70 of 1993. ACADESAN is the community-based authority for 72 Afro-Colombian communities with more than 15,000 persons, and spanning 683,591 hectares in the San Juan river basin, mostly in Choc贸 but also in parts of Buenaventura (Valle del Cauca). Following is a communication from ACADESAN calling for a ceasefire so that the communities can recover from the August 10 earthquake.
Public communiqu茅 No. 4 of 2026
August 24, 2026
Call for ceasefire in the San Juan river basin
On Sunday, August 23, there was an attack with drones and subsequent combat in the community of Charco Hondo (municipality of Sip铆), which is part of the collective territory of the General Community Council of the San Juan River Basin (ACADESAN). Due to this situation, three civilians were wounded, and, thus far, the massive, forced displacement of 65 families is reported from Charco Hondo. Yesterday, Sunday, they sought shelter in the community of Barranc贸n.
On Sunday night the armed confrontations moved to the community of Barranc贸n, and the civilian population was caught in the crossfire, with several homes impacted by the firearms. At this time the preliminary information indicates that 105 families are confined in the community of Barranc贸n, and that 65 families from the community of Charco Hondo have suffered massive displacement and are confined.
In addition, the following communities of the collective territory of ACADESAN that are in the same zone are confined: Charco Largo (municipality of Sip铆), and Torra, Caj贸n, and Santa B谩rbara (municipality of N贸vita). These four communities total 482 families, according to the most recent self-administered census. This would mean a preliminary total of 652 families confined, about 3,000 persons in all.
As this communiqu茅 is being published, several families from this zone are being forcibly displaced to Istmina; they have begun to arrive at our office in Istmina. At this time it is not possible to received displaced families at our offices in Istmina because the infrastructure was damaged in the August 10 earthquake, as was already mentioned in this publication: https://consonante.org/noticia/el-terremoto-profundiza-la-desigualdad-en-el-choco/
The current situation brings front and center the urgency of addressing a request and a demand that we have been making for more than five years: there is a need to build 8 dormitories/community houses in the collective territory, to serve a threefold function: (1) shelter in the event of emergencies caused by natural disasters; (2) shelter in the event of emergencies provoked by the armed conflict; and (3) for community, artistic, and cultural activities. This has not been accomplished, because no entity of the National Government, especially the UNGRD (Unidad Nacional para la Gesti贸n del Riesgo de Desastres, National Unit for Managing Risk of Disasters) has wanted to recognize its responsibility to provide leadership and support the construction of this infrastructure.
We make an appeal to all the armed actors to declare a unilateral, bilateral, or multilateral ceasefire in the San Juan subregion, so as to allow the communities to make at least the minimum of efforts to recover from the earthquake and prepare the process of rebuilding. It is an appeal to put the civilian population at the center, as a humanitarian act in response to the serious impacts we have suffered from the August 10 earthquake.
This emergency caused by the armed conflict is on top of the disaster left by the August 10, 2026 earthquake. The communities in this area of N贸vita and Sip铆 were among the hardest hit by the earthquake, with considerable destruction of homes and community infrastructure, as we have indicated in our publications: https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1JSviyHBua/ and http://acadesan.org/comunicados
Finally, we wish to publicly express gratitude for the actions and words of solidarity that we have received in the last two weeks. We also ask that you help us give visibility to the Black communities of the San Juan river basin, not only in light of the impacts due to these emergencies, but also our day-to-day work to defend our collective territory, to build a dignified life, to care for the environment, and to vindicate, with pride, our Afro-Colombian arts and culture.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF THE GENERAL COMMUNITY COUNCIL OF THE SAN JUAN (ACADESAN)
