allege that in this context, on October 22, 1997, approximately 30 men armed and wearing military uniforms arrived in the district of Puerto Valdivia, where there is a continuous Army presence, and went to the district of El Aro, along the way committing atrocious acts of violence against the civilian population, with the acquiescence of state agents. As they proceeded, three paramilitary groups tortured and executed members of the community, destroyed and set fire to humble dwellings they found in their path, impeded the entry or exit of any inhabitant of the district, and stole the cattle from the farms. 7. The petitioners’ account indicates that on October 22, 1997, in Puerto Valdivia, the first paramilitary group executed Messrs. Omar Ortiz and Fabio Antonio Zuleta Zabala, farmers who lived in El Puquí. In addition, they entered the farm of La Planta and assassinated Mr. Arnulfo Sánchez. Once they reached the pier of Puerto Escondido, the group executed Mr. Omar Iván Gutiérrez in the presence of his wife and young daughters, and cast into the river the freight that belonged to the residents, which was kept in the warehouse owned by Mr. Gutiérrez. Later, the group executed Messrs. Olcris Fail Díaz, José Darío Martínez, and Otoniel de Jesús Tejada. On Saturday, October 25, 1997, that paramilitary group reached the district of El Aro and in a store assassinated the storeowner, Mr. Guillermo Andrés Mendoza Poso; Mr. Luis Modesto Múnera, a worker for the municipal government of Ituango; and Mr. Nelson Palacio Cárdenas, a farmer. 8. According to the petitioners, the other two groups of paramilitaries reached El Aro from the municipality of Briceño, where they destroyed the bridges of Palestina and Ituango. They allege that these groups assassinated the child Wilmar Restrepo Torres, 13 years old, and Mr. Alberto Correa, while they were performing agricultural work. The first members of the group to reach El Aro went to the house of Mr. Marco Aurelio Areiza Osorio and his common-law wife Rosa María Posada, of whom they demanded food and a cow. Later, they allegedly held Mr. Areiza Osorio in a home where he was tortured and executed. Witnesses are said to have confirmed that the victim showed signs of torture in the eyes, ears, chest, genitalia, and mouth. Nonetheless, he was buried without the official act of removing the body taking place, nor with any death certificate, due to the absence of official authorities. Petitioners further allege that on October 30, 1997, the young woman Dora Luz Areiza was assassinated, and that the paramilitary groups also tortured and executed Rosa Barrera, who worked as a domestic employee in the Church, in a room adjacent to the sanctuary. 9. The paramilitaries destroyed and set fire to 40 houses in the urban sector of the district of El Aro. Only the chapel, the health post, and eight homes were left standing. Finally, they allowed the local residents to leave with the warning that they should stay away for at least two months, and that anyone who made any statements to the authorities or the news media would be executed. As a result, some 800 families were displaced to the municipality of Puerto Valdivia and to the district of Santa Rita. 10. As regards the theft of the cattle, petitioners note that the paramilitaries, with forced guidance of the residents, drove the animals to Puerto Valdivia, where they are said to have spent about ten days at a farm known as La Planta. The petitioners allege that even though the military and judicial authorities were aware of the situation, they failed to take any action. Finally, the cattle was taken to the municipality of Tarazá. The petitioners note that in a press release published in the newspaper El Colombiano, Carlos Castaño Gil informed the owners of the cattle that they could claim it there. Nonetheless, it was not returned to those peasants who did so, and the authorities allegedly maintained silence. 11. In relation to the action of the state agents, petitioners allege that the Army did not go to El Aro until three weeks after the paramilitary incursion. Despite the repeated early warnings to the authorities, the presence of the media, who documented the devastation in the urban area, and the testimony of some peasants who had returned to their homes, neither the armed forces or the National Police went to protect the civilian population. The petitioners’ arguments not only refer to the omissions of the state security forces; they also point to acts indicating the active cooperation of these forces with the paramilitary incursion. Specifically, petitioners states that on October 27, 1997, an Army helicopter delivered munitions to the paramilitary forces in the plaza of El Aro. It argues that the disciplinary investigation by the Office of the 2