On October 5, 2017, police opened fire on unarmed farmers in Tumaco, Colombia. Eight were killed, with dozens more shot. The massacre was part of a crackdown on coca farmers in the “war on drugs” despite an agreement for crop substitution — and amidst new threats from Trump, ordering the government to use more force or face consequences.
The Empire Files goes on-the-ground to investigate the massacre, interviewing witnesses and casualties. Abby Martin visits recently-destroyed farms, uses hidden cameras to confront soldiers about the operations and explores the context of such a killing less than a year after the historic peace deal ending the country’s 53-year civil war.