Thousands of indigenous Colombians arrived in the country's capital, demanding a meeting with President Ivan Duque and an end to growing violence in their territories.

Protests began on October 10 in southwest Colombia and gradually advanced to the capital. The approximately 7,500 who traveled to Bogota demanded a face-to-face meeting with the president to discuss the rise in violence from guerrillas and other groups financed by drug trafficking.

Presidential advisor Miguel Ceballos also stressed his concerns about pandemic risks, saying the government had distributed 1,000 COVID-19 tests among the demonstrators. On Wednesday, they will join the "national strike," an anti-government movement that began in late 2019.