Abilio Pena is an important human rights defender and leader of the Comision Interreclesial de Justicia y Paz (Inter-Church Justice and Peace Commission). In the Choco department of Colombia the Justice and Peace Commission works to denounce the illegal acquisition of traditionally collective Afro-Colombian land by paramilitary groups. 

After paramilitaries displaced the Afro-Colombian community from this area in 1996, their land fell into the possession of livestock farmers and companies that used the land to plant African Palm plantations. Today the Commission advocates on behalf of the return of this land to its collective owners.

On June 20, the day of the confrontation, Pena and two other human rights defenders from the Justice and Peace Commission were traveling to Cano Manso, in the outskirts of Curvarado, to begin demarcating land in the area. The official demarcation of land was ordered by the by Colombian Institute for Rural Development (INCODER). It represents an important first step in the eventual return of the property to the Afro-Colombian population. 

The group of men who surrounded Pena included members of the Black Eagles paramilitary group Jose Palacios, alias "El Diablo", and another man known as "El Dolar". The men videotaped the defenders and used their trucks to block further access to the road. In addition, one of the trucks used to block the road belongs to a local African Palm farmer. The tactics used by the group of men appear to be an effort to stall the return of the land they currently control to those who were forced off it twelve years ago.

Although the police reportedly promised that they would be present for the land demarcation in a planning meeting on June 19, no officials arrived until 1:20 p.m., more than three hours after the confrontation began.

Members of the Justice and Peace Commission have also faced other forms of intimidation such as death threats, violent attacks and spurious criminal legal charges.