On March 1, 2008 the Colombian Armed Forces
attacked a FARC guerilla encampment in Ecuador, killing alias
"Raul Reyes", a top-ranking rebel leader and 22 others.
Colombia's raid into Ecuador, reportedly with assistance from
US intelligence, is a violation of international law and has
received reprimand from the Organization of American States.
While the US media is giving extensive coverage to this
topic, suggesting the region is on the brink of war and
discussing possible effects on trade relationships, the
impacts on the local civilian population have not been
mentioned.
Witness for
Peace and numerous Colombian human rights and community-based
organizations are concerned about the negative effects of the
March 1 military events along the Colombian-Ecuadorian border,
in the region of Putumayo, on the civilian population who are
caught in the middle of the Colombian conflict.
It is also very
concerning that the Bush Administration has been using the
tensions between Andean countries to push for Congressional
approval of the U.S.-Colombia free trade agreement (FTA).
This trade agreement is also highly contested within the US
congress due Colombia's horrendous human rights record,
including the world's highest rate of trade union
assassinations. For these reasons, along with the disastrous
effects the agreement will have on Colombian farmers, labor
organizers, indigenous and Afro-Colombians, the US Congress
should not approve the FTA.
What
are the effects on the local population of the Putumayo area?
Civilians
living in Colombia near the Ecuador border are caught in the
crossfire. They fear that due to the attack on the FARC
encampment, guerrillas are much more likely to target the
surrounding community, accusing them of being government
informants. At the same time, they also fear that the
Colombian military is going to come down hard on those in the
region due to their claims that the community has been
supporting the guerrillas since they are in the area. A local
woman we met with this week explained the situation to us:
"The
assassination [of Raul Reyes] occurred 15 minutes from where I
live and now everyone in my community is afraid of the
repression that is coming. The government is now saying we
are all guerillas and that is why we are afraid of state
violence. But we are not guerillas. We are not
paramilitaries. We are not informants. We are just poor
farmers and right now we are focused on not being pushed off
our lands.We want to work because we need to work to
survive. But we can't. If we try to even leave the house the
army accuses us of being guerillas. So everyone is in their
homes full of fear."
Shortly after hearing her story, we were notified that two
civilian farmers that lived in her community were killed by
the military and then dressed as guerilla fighters to
"justify" their murders, one more example of the extrajudicial
killings that ravage the region.
What is the current conflict in the Andes about?
After the
military raid on March 1, Ecuador and Venezuela responded by
protesting the Colombian incursion into Ecuador and sending
troops to their borders with Colombia.
Colombia's
response to the action of Ecuador and Venezuela was to accuse
their respective governments of allegedly supporting the FARC.
These charges were based on documents that Colombian officials
claim they discovered in the rebel leader's computer, alleging
friendly Ecuadorian and Venezuelan relationships with the
guerrillas. These serious claims have not been verified and
have been vehemently denied by both Presidents.
While the
majority of Latin American governments are protesting
Colombia's actions, the US government continues to back
Colombia's President Uribe and use the crisis to both further
polarize the region and as another excuse to push forward the
Colombia-US Free Trade Agreement as something of a "reward"
for its militaristic ally.
***
Take Action!
Witness for Peace feels it is of critical importance that the
US public be informed of the detrimental effects US-funded
militarization has had on Colombian civilians not only during
this most recent attack, but since Plan Colombia began eight
years ago. The unacceptable living and human rights
conditions they face have been exacerbated by the events that
took place earlier this month, but were not created by just
this one military act.
Please take a moment to takeaction against continued US military funding of Colombia
and in support of Colombian civilians. Supporters of
peace and justice in Latin America can take the following
actions to change US policy:
Encourage your friends to join
Witness for Peace and receive regular updates on US
policy in Latin America and how you can help promote peace
in the region.
Colombian human rights organization speaks
out about recent events on Ecuadorian border
MINGA,
a Colombian human rights organization, recently sent Witness
for Peace a document regarding the concerning situation of the
civilians living in the Putumayo region. We have translated
this document and included it below. Please take a moment to
read it as well as to take appropriate action against
continued US military funding of Colombia and
in support of Colombian civilians.
The grassroots organizations of Colombia
are worried about the resulting effects of the current
international tensions between the governments of
Colombia, Ecuador and Venezuela, caused by the March 1,
2008 raid that occurred near the Colombia-Ecuador border.
We fear for the life and personal integrity of thousands
of people who are in the middle of the crossfire and that,
as civilians, need protection, public visibility, access
to humanitarian aid, and respect for their right to live
in peace and with dignity as they find alternatives to
war. We call on you to act in solidarity and good will
with the civil populace that resides in this border zone.
The border region
between Colombia and Ecuador is increasingly becoming a
military theater of operation for combat without consideration
for the vulnerable civilian communities living in the area:
Intense
militarization and occupation of this zone leads to
economic blockades and military confinement of the civilian
population. The border closings increase the blockades and
confinement, resulting in the reduction of humanitarian
space. It is ever more difficult for human rights
organizations to travel in and operate in the area.
There have been massive internal and cross-border
displacements caused by the increased risk of armed
confrontation between governmental armed forces and illegal
armed groups.
There is a current food shortage and general lack of
supplies caused by the ongoing governmental coca eradication
programs, fumigation and forced manual eradication, which
are carried out without effective alternative development or
contingency plans to mitigate the effects of indiscriminate
fumigation and eradication of food crops. This all occurs
within the context of an already critical situation in
Putumayo, a region characterized by its extreme poverty and
the absence of state institutions. According to the
provincial government, 79% of Putumayo's population lives
with its basic needs unmet. For example, residents of this
region rank last in Colombia regarding access to potable
water, at only 0.01%. 40% of the population lives without
access to healthcare and in rural regions malnourishment is
rampant among minors.
Human rights violations and infractions of International
Humanitarian Law have been committed within the framework of
military operations supported by Colombia Plan resources
from the US. Previous antinarcotics operations have had
severely negative impacts on the civilian population. For
example, after the November 2005 operation "Snow Cap",
approximately 800 members of Afro-descendant communities
were forced to flee into Ecuador as a result of being caught
in crossfire. During the forced manual eradication
operations in October of 2007, approximately 600 people went
to Ecuador in search of food and humanitarian aid. Other
farming communities organized themselves within the province
of Putumayo, demanding that the Colombian government help
them by providing viable economic alternatives to coca.
Many of the community members were victimized when their
private property and goods were stolen or destroyed, their
houses burned, and several leaders were beaten during an
operative aimed at repressing the farmer's protests to
continuing the planned forced eradication.
In light of
this situation we want to request that the members of US civil
society support the communities of Putumayo through a
variety of actions including letters to your Congressional
representatives regarding:
A negotiated
and peaceful solution to the armed conflict;
A complete change in the allocation of Plan Colombia
resources. Up until now the majority of Plan Colombia has
been in military and police aid, resulting in more
militarization of Colombian communities leading to human
rights violations. The US needs to direct aid towards
programs that advance the construction of sustainable peace,
the creation of a humanitarian space along the border, and
the strengthening of democratic values and institutions;
The advancement of actions that protect the life and
integrity of the civilian population affected by a
continually more and more international war.
