Two leaders of died and five others, including a minor, were injured on Saturday during a rebel group attack in Cauca, a southwest coastal department of Colombia, local authorities said.

Members of the local indigenous guard, who are considered an authority amongst indigenous communities, were shot in a rural zone between the municipalities of Caloto and Toribio when they were traveling on a bus, said Oscar Ocampo, the governor of Cauca.

The attack was attributed to dissidents of Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC).

"The FARC dissidents do not control this department and they have to leave," said Ombudsman Carlos Negret, urging the FARC dissidents to respect the indigenous guard.

The National Indigenous Organization of Colombia declared a state of emergency following the "systemic murder" of indigenous leaders in Cauca.

The FARC signed a peace deal with the government in 2016 and has since renounced violence and transformed into a political party, yet some members refused to give up their criminal activities.