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Luis Fernando Arias, Colombian Indigenous Leader, Dies at 41
Motivated by violence inflicted on his family by paramilitaries, he became the leading voice in a coalition of Indigenous peoples. Complications of the coronavirus contributed to his death.
Luis Fernando Arias had an ambition: to make sure Colombia’s Indigenous people had a place at the table.Credit.National Indigenous Organization of Colombia
By Megan Janetsky
Feb. 24, 2021
This obituary is part of a series about people who have died in the coronavirus pandemic. Read about others
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Like so many Indigenous people in Colombia, Luis Fernando Arias suffered acutely from the armed conflict that tore his nation apart for decades. Paramilitary fighters in 2001 rolled into his community and killed his grandfather. Three years later they killed an uncle of his and threatened his father, forcing his family to flee to the capital, Bogotá.