col-pp-update0405

Colombia Peace Presence Update, April 2005

In this Update:

Indigenous Peace Communities bombed
Speak Out for Peace in Colombia
Colombia Photo Exhibit to Open in Philadelphia
News Briefs
Letter from the Field: Update on the displacement in San José de Apartadó


Indigenous Peace Communities Bombed
Source: American Friends Service Committee - AFSC

On April 14, a battle between the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) and the Colombian army and counter-guerrilla police in the indigenous peace communities of Toribío and Jambaló in the Department of Cauca, in Southwest Colombia forced the civilian population to abandon their homes. Aside from indiscriminate use of explosives and the exchange of gunfire inside the community, the Colombian Air Force also bombed rural areas surrounding the town.  The community had to evacuate 2,200 people, 21 civilians were severely wounded and a nine-year-old child was killed. The communities of Toribío and Jambaló are widely recognized for their commitment to sustainable development, peace, social and cultural survival. In 2004 they were awarded the Equatorial Prize from the United Nations, and the Indigenous Guard received the Colombian National Peace Prize for their peaceful work for the protection of life and the rights of the Nasa indigenous communities.

On April 22, the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC), which works closely with these communities, sent  report stating that the situation continues to be serious. The battle between the FARC and the Colombian armed forces intensified over the week, causing more casualties among civilians, official armed forces and guerrillas. The communities feel that President Uribe, who visited the town on April 15, rather than contributing to ending hostilities, added fuel to the fire by challenging the guerrillas and stating that they Œare cowards¹. In addition, the Colombian armed forces have used aerial strafing in the outlying areas with a stealth airplane and more than 10 Blackhawk helicopters, and people from the surrounding villages are being uprooted from their homes as the civilian population continues to experience the brunt of the violence.

Testimony by a community member, published by AFSC:

"We were still in bed. It was quarter to six in the morning. At that time we heard a shot and then continuous shooting. We went to the door and saw a man who was clearly a guerrilla. Right then we knew that the town was under siege and since the roof in the back of our house is made of concrete we took refuge there with the children. Then the guerrilla told us to leave, but no one would move or respond. People were scared. They got upset with us and told us that they would not take responsibility for the consequences. After a while, a few of us went out with the ombudsman from our community and we spoke with them. We practically begged the guerrilla to cease the battle for twenty minutes so that we could get the people out of town. Initially, they denied us the opportunity, but after a while of talking and begging they gave us the twenty minutes to get people out. We removed the people from the town and took them to the community center. After exactly twenty minutes the guerrilla began to launch gas cylinders again; from the school we could see how little by little they were destroying our small town.

As the fire continued there was chaos everywhere. Many thoughts ran through our heads about what we could do, but we were frozen with fear. And then suddenly a grenade hit the community center and many people were wounded. From what we could tell it came from the police station. They had launched it.

We are in a very unfavorable position. We are defenseless and clearly we are the most affected by this conflict although we are the ones that have the least resources. We are very peaceful in Toribío and Jambaló. We have shown our neutrality and that has been a defense mechanism for us.

Last night the Governor and today, the President said that we had to decide which side we were on, if we were with the terrorists (meaning the guerrilla) or with the democratic institutions. By doing that they are inviting us to get involved in a conflict that is not ours; we have not wanted to participate in it and we will not do it. We want a different solution to this conflict. None of the sides provide an alternative for us. The institutions don¹t give us any guarantees and the situation here is very difficult because the police are shielded by the civil population. The police and military stations and the trenches are beside our homes. The police and military also violate our human rights as do the guerrillas. So neither group provides an option for us.

The guerrillas say that they are at war with the State and the armed forces are their target. However, since the armed forces have their stations amidst the town the people end up suffering. They suffer the most!

As a father, it is very painful for me to see that my children have to live in this situation, because this has caused them a lot of trauma. I am constantly asking myself, "What do we expect our future to be like if the lives of our children are marred with violence that is created by the interests of outsiders?"

Despite the violence I am going to continue living here, because leaving the community is not an option. Everywhere you go in Colombia things are bad especially for the ones that do not have much. Colombians need to evaluate the situation and to look at how weapons are being used. They should also propose to the guerrillas that they take a look at what they are doing and how they are doing it."

According to AFSC's update, in the midst of the army's aerial strafing and the FARC's bombings with gas cylinders, 3,000 indigenous peace guards accompanied a delegation from the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in Colombia. The delegation's purpose was to support the peace communities in what they called a "humanitarian caravan." A total of 5,000 people participated in the caravan that traveled to the town in a show of solidarity and to verify the situation.

Currently, delegates from the peace communities are asking President Uribe to meet with them in an effort to create a dialogue. They are also asking him to stop fueling the fires of the battle and to send urgently needed emergency humanitarian aid. The communities want the Colombian armed forces and the guerrillas "to stop using us as canon fodder" and immediately leave their territory, allowing them to enact their "plans for life," which include a commitment to sustainable development, peace, social and cultural survival. Meanwhile, the communities also ask international and national organizations to send statements of solidarity and financial support for emergency aid.

For AFSC's full action alert, go to: www.afsc.org/colombia

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Speak Out for Peace in Colombia: Two Grassroots Actions

US military aid contributes to the escalation of the conflict in Colombia that leads to violent actions - such as the events in the indigenous Peace Communities and the recent massacre in San Jose de Apartadó. On Tuesday, April 26, individuals and organizations around the country came together to call for a new U.S. policy on Colombia, bringing their concerns to the attention of their members of Congress. On this day, grassroots advocates in the U.S. flooded congressional offices with phone calls to send a clear message that they want a new U.S.-Colombia policy.  Key recommendations included a greater commitment to a negotiated, political path towards peace, increased attention to social concerns and humane drug policies that meet the needs of those most directly impacted. The case of San Jose de Apartadó has opened a window of opportunity by prompting the State Department to delay human rights certification of a large portion of military aid to Colombia.  

To read a letter with key recommendations on ways for achieving peace in Colombia, which was endorsed by over 700 ecumenical religious leaders and individuals from faith-based organizations around the country, go to:

http://capwiz.com/catholicrelief/utr/1/KTWIENVMII/LDLFENVJXV/&gt

The timing for this call-in action couldn't have been better because Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice will be traveling to Colombia on Wednesday, April 27. This is also a great "media moment" for sending letters to the editor of your local (or regional, or national) paper!

To get in touch with your senators or representative, call the Congressional Switchboard at 202-224-3121.

If you don't know the name of your representative or senators, you can look them up at http://www.senate.gov or http://www.house.gov/writerep.

Peace Vigils for Colombia, April 26 - May 8

In addition, you can join peace advocates across the United States non-violently protesting U.S. support for Colombia's military. Take a stand for accountability and justice! Mother¹s Day Peace Vigils: April 26 - May 8.The first Mother¹s Day was a protest against the bloodshed of the Civil War by women who lost their sons. By organizing a vigil in your town between April 26 and May 8, you are standing with the thousands of unarmed Colombian civilians struggling with determination and illogical courage for peace. You will relay your desire for a U.S. policy that promotes human rights and dismay with military solutions.

Your public witness will help prevent the San José case from ending in impunity like the vast majority of violent deaths in Colombia.

You can organize a vigil at any accessible public place in your town, Congressional district offices or simply a place that is meaningful to you, such as your church. Organize friends, neighbors, members of your community of worship, and family members to gather. Maximize the impact of your vigil by sending out a media alert ahead of time, let U.S. policy makers know of your action and send a letter to the U.S. State Department.

For more information, including a list of planned vigils, go to: www.peaceincolombia.org

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Colombia Photography Exhibit to Open in Philadelphia

On Friday May 6, Fellowship of Reconciliation human rights accompaniers, Joe DeRaymond and Renata Rendon will give a presentation on their recent experiences in the peace community of San José de Apartadó at the opening reception for the photo exhibit Resistance Unarmed: Colombian Communities Building Alternatives to War. DeRaymond served on the FOR Colombia Peace Presence team in 2003 and Rendon served from September 2004 until March 2005. Their accompaniment of peace community members included the verification commission that visited the sites of the February massacre.

The reception will be held from 5:00-8:00 pm at the Arch Street Friends Meeting House in Philadelphia where the exhibit will run from April 25 until July 1.  The exhibition features images from three Colombian communities creating models of nonviolent resistance to the armed conflict

Co-sponsoring the exhibition are the Fairhill Friends Ministry and the Fellowship of Reconciliation.  For directions or more information, please call Pamela Moore at 215-483-4661.

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News Briefs

FREED! The Five Justicia y Paz Human Rights Defenders
RCN Radio

On April 8, five members of the human rights organization Inter-church Commission for Justice and Peace (J+P) who had been kidnapped on March 31 in Chocó Province by members of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia  - FARC were freed.  Enrique Chimonja, Johana López, Edwin Mosquera, Mónica Suarez and Fabio Ariza were accompanying the Afro-Colombian Peace Community of Jiguamiandó for J+P. They are in good health and were picked up by representatives of the UNHCR and the Diocese of Quibdó (the capital of Choco), after eight days of arduous hiking through thick jungle terrain.

According to the victims, their capturers told them that the reason for the kidnapping was to deliver a message from the FARC. However, they never met the FARC commander who was going to give the message. In Colombia and dozens of others countries, organizations and governments, as well as representatives of the UN had demanded the release of these human rights workers. J+P thanked all those who had given "moral or spiritual support or sent expressions of hope during an anxious time that has ended" with the release of its members.

In its April 11 statement, the human rights organization voiced relief about the liberation, but concern that the Colombian government might use this kidnapping as a justification for further militarizing the region. They fear that the case will be used to show that the population's security depends on an armed state presence, and argue that this "distorts the responsibility of the state for the systematic crisis of human rights violations committed by the army¹s XVII Brigade or the covert [paramilitary] strategy that has been implemented in the region for the past nine years."

"This Triumph is Also Yours": Indigenous Colombians Win Important Victory
Probe International Press Release & Colombia Indymedia

On April 8, after occupying the courtyard of Colombia's Interior Ministry for 159 days, the Embera  Katío people came to a landmark agreement regarding a dam built by the Urrá S.A. Company and financed by Canada's Export Development Corporation. The Colombian government has agreed to compensate Embera Katío indigenous people after years of protest against flooding of their lands along the Sinú River.

Perhaps for the first time ever, dam-affected people have reached an agreement with dam owners: the Urrá Company has agreed to work out a plan for eventually dismantling the structure and restoring the river to its natural condition in cooperation with local communities, at the company's expense. On the downside, the Colombian government only compensated the Embera for half of the land asked for ­ 12,880 hectares (31,827.17 acres) instead of 32,000 hectares (79,073.72 acres) and awarded them less than half of the cash they had demanded. Downstream from the dam, where fish catches from the Sinú River have plummeted, the government has yet to provide any compensation for the estimated 60,000 people who have lost their fishing livelihoods since the dam was built.

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Letter from the Field:
Update on the displacement in San José de Apartadó

CPP Volunteer Dan Malakoff

March 31 ­ The day the police came to inaugurate a police post in San Jose, we learned that even circuses can be put to political ends. On a decorative, double-decker chiva (collective transport), blaring its horn and a trombone marching music, they paraded into town. An entourage of clowns, stilt walkers, and men dressed like penguins spilled into the streets, accompanied by five neatly groomed officers. They handed out helium balloons and ice-cream cones to the children. When the older kids declined, they asked, "Why don¹t you want a free balloon? Come on, have it." The uniformed officers walked the streets, shaking hands with civilians terrified of being seen as collaborating with any armed group. They danced ring-around-the-rosy with the youngest of the children while the television cameras looked on.

That same afternoon, out of sight of the TV cameras, the residents of San José began packing in order to displace. It is so sad watching people lock their stores, wrap their chickens in palm leaves, roll up their thin mattresses, and then leave their homes.  

Many families, who had displaced from outlying hamlets after uniformed men massacred eight campesinos and threatened others in February, returned to their lands despite the continued danger. The majority though left their homes in San José for La Holandita, a farm donated by the Dutch government to the Peace Community. San José was left a ghost town. Even the stray dogs displaced.

In mid-March, after President Uribe announced plans for the post, the community began building new houses on this farm, a fifteen-minute walk from San José. Still, the first nights at La Holandita were the hardest. A few roofs were up, but no walls. Most people slept on boards. Water for drinking and bathing was scarce, while the rainy season turned the land into swamp. Many kids became sick with diarrhea.                                                    
Over the weeks, we watched the progress with amazement. Each day the chainsaws began to roar at six in the morning as men harvested wood from the surrounding hillsides. Others brought the newly cut posts and planks to the carpenters who swiftly and astutely raised over 35 houses. The whole Peace Community banded together in this effort. They built kitchens with thatched roofs and molded clay ovens. They dug ditches to carry away the rain water and laid stone paths above the mud. An access road went in, complete with a wooden bridge. Every visit renewed our astonishment at how hard these people could work under such strenuous conditions. While the police are still living in tents, the Peace Community has built a new town.

Life, though, is not easy at La Holandita. On average, each one-room house must accommodate nearly ten people. Filters purify the water for drinking, but the one communal "toilet" dumps into a ditch with barely a trickle of water running at its bottom. Without school or teacher, the kids are without education. Electricity is limited to a generator, only big enough to light a few bulbs at night. San Jose¹s shopkeepers have lost their markets and their bakeries. Everyone has lost their homes. Many wish they could return. A few have.

Partly, it¹s out of fear that the people stay at La Holandita. The police post is a target for attack. Just this month the FARC attacked the post in Toribio in Cauca Department, killing a nine-year-old boy, and half this southern Colombian town was leveled in the ensuing combat with government forces. A few days later, insurgents attacked the police post in El Charco.

Largely, though, those at La Holandita stay out of a determination not to live amongst police. They refuse to be drawn into the armed conflict in this way. Although the "community" police carry only small arms and smile broadly, the community still considers them an armed actor in Colombia¹s civil war. Ominously, they plan to build their post just above the cemetery, where in February the eight massacre victims were laid to rest.

Meanwhile, the police threw a party in San José to celebrate their arrival. We could hear the vallenatos (Colombian folk music) all the way up the hill in La Union. Together with the municipal government, they¹re handing out free chickens, sandals, and mattresses. They patrol the nearly deserted streets, chatting with whoever will talk with them.

On the road, National Counter Guerrilla Police are on their own patrol. Unlike the community police in San José, these dress in fatigues and carry large packs with machetes and mats to sleep on. They¹re armed with assault rifles. Bullet belts crisscross their chests. These police show the other face of the Colombian public forces.

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If you have any further questions about the FOR Colombia program, please contact us. Thank you again for your ongoing support.

In Peace

Jutta Meier-Wiedenbach
Colombia program coordinator
____________________________
Fellowship of Reconciliation
Task Force on Latin America and the Caribbean
2017 Mission St. #305
San Francisco, CA 94110
phone: (415) 495-6334, fax: (415) 495-5628
www.forusa.org