Vigía del Fuerte is a town and

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality' ...

in the

Colombia Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country primarily located in South America with Insular region of Colombia, insular regions in North America. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the north, Venezuel ...

n department of

Antioquia Antioquia is the Spanish form of Antioch. Antioquia may also refer to: * Antioquia Department Antioquia () is one of the 32 departments of Colombia, located in the central northwestern part of Colombia with a narrow section that borders th ...

. It is part of the Urabá Antioquia sub-region. The town is on the eastern bank of the

Atrato River The Atrato River () is a river of northwestern Colombia. It rises in the slopes of the Western Cordillera and flows almost due north to the Gulf of Urabá (or Gulf of Darién), where it forms a large, swampy delta. Its course crosses the Ch ...

, which locally forms the border between the Antioquia and

Chocó Department Chocó Department () is a department of the Pacific region of Colombia known for hosting the largest Afro-Colombian population in the nation, and a large population of Amerindian and mixed African-Amerindian Colombians. It is in the west of the ...

s of Colombia. Vigía del Fuerte neighbours Bellavista, and played a significant role, suffering losses during, and receiving those fleeing the

Bojayá massacre Bojayá () is a municipality in the Chocó Department, Colombia. Its municipal centre is Bellavista Nuevo. Bojaya municipality The Bojaya municipality, according to a 2005 census, has 9,941 inhabitants. 58.4% of the population of the municipali ...

in 2002.

Town

Most of the buildings and roads in the town are elevated on poles because of the wet soil and frequent flooding. The town is connected only by river to neighbouring towns, and to

Quibdó Quibdó () is the capital city of Chocó Department, in the Pacific/Chocó natural region, Pacific Region of Colombia, and is located on the Atrato River. The municipality of Quibdó has an area of and a population of 129,237, predominantly A ...

, the capital of the

. The town is served by the Vigía del Fuerte Airstrip, receiving a more or less daily charter flight in the form of a small propeller plane, connecting it to Medellin. The town hosts two colleges. One generic college serving the town and nearby villages and communities. And the Institución Educativa Embera Atrato Medio, a semi-residential college aimed exclusively at the Embera people living in the region. The latter is run primarily by the Misioneras de la Madre Laura, residing in the town.

Armed conflict

On 25 March 2000, around 300 members of the 57th and 34th fronts of the Northwestern Bloc of the FARC-EP took over the town from AUC control. During the surprise attack they simultaneously attacked the house that the AUC was using as a base and the police station in the centre of the town. The guerrilleros ended up launching a ''cilindro bomba,'' a makeshift, heavy explosive, into the police station. The resulting explosion took out the concrete police station and damaged the neighbouring church beyond repair. Afterwards, they went into the police station with drawn machetes, none of the 22 policemen survived. Besides the policemen around 9 civilians were killed, bystanders or expected collaborators of the AUC. Among the dead was the major of the town, whose body they burned. Two men were killed on 1 May 2002 the day preceding the

Bojayá Massacre Bojayá () is a municipality in the Chocó Department, Colombia. Its municipal centre is Bellavista Nuevo. Bojaya municipality The Bojaya municipality, according to a 2005 census, has 9,941 inhabitants. 58.4% of the population of the municipali ...

. Three men were confirmed to have been killed on 4 May by members of the FARC upon the accusation of having stolen gasoline for the paramilitaries. All of the 5 aforementioned men are buried in the mausoleum with the victims of the 2 May massacre in Bojayá. On October 11, 2013, presumed FARC rebels attacked the municipality's airport, destroying an aircraft in the process. The fighting and consequent displacement has continued, even after the 2002 Bojayá massacre, or the 2016 peace deal with the FARC. Displacement has forced inhabitants of the region to flee, many whom have settled in Vigía and the neighbouring Bellavista, Quibdó or have left the Chocó region altogether.

Climate

Vigía del Fuerte has a very wet

tropical rainforest climate A tropical rainforest climate or equatorial climate is a tropical climate sub-type usually found within 10 to 15 degrees latitude of the equator. There are some other areas at higher latitudes, such as the coast of southeast Florida, United States ...

(Af).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vigia Del Fuerte Municipalities of Antioquia Department

Town

Armed conflict

Climate

See also

References