Colombia killings of social leaders hit record in 2022 -ombudsman

FILE PHOTO: Carlos Camargo, Colombian Ombudsman speaks during a statement to the media in Bogota, Colombia, December 7, 2022. REUTERS/Luis Jaime Acosta

BOGOTA (Reuters) - Colombia witnessed killings of 215 social leaders and human rights activists in 2022, the highest toll ever recorded, as illegal armed groups intensified their attacks in key drug-trafficking areas, the government's human rights ombudsman said on Monday.

The number of killed human rights activists and social leaders - a term referring to community, land, and environmental leaders, among others - rose from 145 in 2021 and 182 in 2020, the ombudsman said in a statement.