A Colombian pastor was shot dead as he left his church on 9 February.
Pastor Leider Molina, 24, had just finished preaching in his church in Caucasia, Antioquia state in northwest Colombia, when he was hit by five bullets.
Molina was known as a passionate preacher and an active youth leader working for his church and city, 670km north of the capital Bogotá. The Caucasia region has suffered an escalation in violence for the last four months, according to the source. Armed groups fight for control of drug-trafficking routes and the ownership of illicit crops.
Many enemies
‘Communist guerrillas, paramilitary groups, criminal gangs and drug cartels all see the church as an enemy to be eradicated because, thanks to the preaching and courageous action of leaders and pastors, many young people have renounced armed conflict and illegal activities,’ the source said.
Last September two other pastors in the region were killed. Pastor Galarza, a social and religious leader, was shot dead in front of his family. Pastor Elfren Martínez Pérez, 55, was murdered outside his home after he refused to help members of a neo-paramilitary group with transport.
