Killings of Colombia environmental activists hit record, NGO says, despite gov't promises

Rafael Santofimio, former FARC guerrilla, nurseryman and signatory of the peace agreement with the government of Juan Manuel Santos, holds a seedling during a visit to one of the nurseries managed by former FARC guerrillas in Putumayo, Colombia August 25, 2021. Picture taken August 25, 2021. REUTERS/Luisa Gonzalez

PUTUMAYO PROVINCE, Colombia (Reuters) - An environmental activist in southern Colombia's steamy jungle province of Putumayo was preparing to run some errands earlier this year when she received a warning from a contact, she said.

"He wrote me a message saying it's better I don't go outside...They've sent someone to kill you three times already," she recalled, referring to crime gangs operating in her village. Reuters could not verify the content of the message.