BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — Thousands of Colombians took to the streets Friday night to call for an end to a wave of killings of leftist activists in the wake of the nation's peace deal.

Colombia's ombudsman counts at least 436 activists killed since the government's signing in 2016 of a peace deal with the nation's largest rebel group. The vast majority hail from traditionally neglected rural areas where drug traffickers run rampant and state presence is almost null.

President Iván Duque, whose conservative party opposed the peace deal, decided at the last minute to support the demonstrations.

According to the United Nations at least 51 activists were killed in the first four months of 2019, putting the country on track to surpass the 115 assassinations registered last year.