Sandra is a 26 year-old environmental engineer who works on water, basin protection and wetland issues. She has also followed up the processes of access to genetic resources in the country and has tried to ensure the equal
participation of local communities.

According to the alert sent by the Asociacion Minga and Censat – Friends of the Earth Colombia, the activist is 5.5 feet tall, is dark haired and was wearing blue jeans and a black shirt when she disappeared on Thursday.

Her identity card and cell phone were found on Saturday near the place where she was supposed to take a public bus to Palmira (where she was giving a lecture) close to Puente del Comercio. According to Minga and to Censat- Friends of the Earth Colombia, an organization where Sandra used to work for, the activist “might have been approached by criminals in Belalcazar neighborhood, close to her parents home and where she was seen for the last time”. Political motivations for her disappearance are not ruled out.

Real World Radio interviewed Colombian environmental activist Hildebrando Velez, who is leading the local efforts in the search for Sandra. “Right now I am going inside Cali’s Ombudsman, where we are trying to coordinate the intervention of the authorities”, said Velez. “It has been difficult, but we have used all possible means to find Sandra”.

The leader spoke of the need for the international media to know about this case to put pressure on the authorities to speed up her search. He also requested Censat Agua Viva – Friends of the Earth Colombia to finance the publication of a picture of Sandra on a national newspaper to facilitate her search.

About the work the activist was recently doing he said: “Sandra was preparing the defense of the Cauca river with indigenous peoples. She is very passionate about the defense of Caucayaco river (the river’s name in Quechua)”, he said. The environmental activist added that Sandra “was also working in a natural reserve close to Yumbo municipality and has been dedicated to her spiritual learning for the past year. Sandra has been doing all these things. I’d rather say ’has been doing’, because we are certain that if the world citizens unite, we will find her”.

Friends of the Earth Latin America and the Caribbean (ATALC) is part of Friends of the Earth International, a federation with almost eighty member groups around the world, demanded the Colombian authorities to make sure they find Sandra alive soon. “In our federation we will be following this concerning and saddening incident closely”, says ATALC in a press release.

Photo: Published by Censat Agua Viva – Friends of the Earth Colombia.