Colombia This Week
16/01/2006
Fri 06 – Coca-Cola denies links with paramilitaries; 550 children victims of firearms in 2005
· Coca-Cola denies allegations of links with paramilitaries, following a boycott on its products implemented by 10 universities across Europe, Canada and the US. A spokesman for the company stated two judicial enquires found no evidence of links between the drinks company and paramilitary fighters accused of killing a trade unionist in 1996, AFP reports. However, activists criticise the result of an auditing report into the company’s operations in Colombia, accusing it of a lack of independence, the Financial Times reports.
· A report from the Colombian Institute of Forensic Medicine states that 550 children were victims of firearms in 2005, the equivalent of 45 children per month. Most incidents occurred in the cities of Medellin, Cali, Bogota and Bucaramanga. A recent report from Human Rights Watch also suggested that 11,000 minors operate within illegal armed groups, AFP reports.
· The Colombian organisation Justicia y Paz reports the extrajudicial killing of the peasant Luis Guillermo Gonzalez on January 6 in Vista Hermosa (Meta department), the same area where three peasants were killed last week. On the same day, 200 people from the nearby town of Puerto Toledo were forcibly displaced by military units, Justicia y Paz reports.
· The Presidential Advisor for Social Affairs announced that 3,000 displaced families will receive subsidies totalling 18,523 million pesos (about US$80,000). The subsidies will apply to the populations of 26 departments including Antioquia, Choco, Nariño, Bolivar and Cordoba, Radio Caracol reports.
Sat 07 – Colombian drug smugglers arrested in UK; gunfight between Army and FARC in Meta
· A Colombian gang which ran one of the biggest cocaine distribution networks in Britain is jailed. The two masterminds, who were sentenced to 19 and 17 years in prison, had come to the UK as asylum seekers in 1990 and were working as bus drivers and cleaners. The operation led to the arrest of a further 50 people both in Britain and Colombia and to the seizure of a tonne of cocaine and £3.5m cash. The scale of the business was such that after the arrest the wholesale price of cocaine increased 50%, the BBC reports. It is estimated that the gang was making £100 million a year, the Daily Telegraph reports.
· 12 FARC members and two soldiers are killed in a gunfight in Vista Hermosa, Meta department. The rebels were members of the same group that killed 29 soldiers in the 27 December attack, Reuters reports.
Sun 08 – NGOs criticise Decree 4760; Uribe questioned over future of FARC members
· The Colombian NGOs Comision Colombiana de Juristas and Colectivo de Abogados Jose Alvear Restrepo express their concern at Decree 4760 which regulates the Justice and Peace Law. According to the two organisations, the 3,194 paramilitaries currently in prison for crimes that precluded their early release are likely to benefit from the new regulations and obtain alternative sentences. For this to happen, the commanders of their groups only need to include them in a list of members currently detained, El Tiempo reports.
· The congressman Wilson Borja asks President Uribe to clarify the judicial status of the 32 FARC members who gave themselves up under the Justice and Peace Law. According to Borja, the rebels’ initiative was used by the Peace Commissioner to show the good will of the government, but they were subsequently left in prison with their future uncertain, Radio Caracol reports.
Mon 09 – Army officials provide arms to guerrilla ; DEA officials in corruption scandals
· According to a report from the Attorney General’s office, several army members were involved in illegal dealings with guerrilla groups. The army officials are accused of providing weapons to the FARC and common criminals, in exchange for money and drugs. A member of the 58th Block of the FARC known as “Nacho” was in charge of receiving the armaments, while it is not clear yet how many army officials were involved, RCN Radio reports.
· A leaked document from the US Department of Justice shows that officials from the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) based in Bogota are allegedly involved in drug trafficking and have links with paramilitaries. The document also accused monitoring offices inside the Department of Justice of protecting the corrupt officials, Narco News reports.
· A new report by the Institute of Forensic Medicine shows that in 2005 the homicide rate in Colombia dropped by 23% compared to the previous year. The institute’s director Maximo Duque specified that 14,503 homicides were reported in Colombia in 2005 and that the region that registered most killings was the Valle department. Contrary to public belief though, most violent deaths were not the result of the conflict but related to domestic violence and minor disputes between people known to each other, RCN Radio reports.
· The High Commissioner for Peace Luis Carlos Restrepo published an article on the internet in which he accused the FARC of using their hostages to damage President Uribe politically. According to Restrepo, the announcement by the guerrilla group that they would not sign any humanitarian agreement with Uribe could be an attempt to convince people to vote for other presidential candidates, El Tiempo reports.
· The Colombian trade union congress (CUT) denounces the killings and disappearances of trade unionists in Santander department. Carlos Arciniega Niño, a trade union activist for SINTRAINAGRO and worker in the palm oil firm Palmas Bucarelia, disappeared on 30th December 2005 and his body was found on 2nd January, the CUT reports.
Tues 10 – Situation still critical in Putumayo ; Mineros block starts demobilisation
· The situation in Putumayo remains critical after the attacks on the energy infrastructure last week. A new guerrilla attack against an oil well has been reported in Orito while 300,000 people are still waiting for the electricity service to be resumed. The hospital in Orito is experiencing extreme difficulties after its only ambulance was burnt by the FARC last Friday. The rebels are also threatening an armed strike which will make fuel and food supplies even more difficult to deliver, El Tiempo reports.
· The Mineros block of the United Self-Defence Forces of Colombia (AUC) is assembling in La Rancheria, in Taraza (Antioquia department), in preparation for its demobilisation. Between 1700 and 2000 members of the group are expected to hand in their weapons, El Colombiano reports.
· Gunfights between the army and the FARC have been reported in the Macarena National Park and around Vista Hermosa in the Meta department, where manual eradication of coca crops is expected to start on 20th January. The army operations in the area are complicated by the heavy presence of anti-personnel mines disseminated by the guerrilla to prevent the armed forces entering the zone, Radio Caracol reports.
· The Constitutional Court will examine a petition to temporarily suspend the Justice and Peace Law until the tribunal decides on its constitutionality. The Court will make a decision next week and, in the case of a decision in favour of the petition, the negotiation process with the paramilitaries will be delayed, El Tiempo reports.
· The army discovers a FARC bunker in the Naya region, on the Pacific coast, that contains two tonnes of explosives. The material belonged to the “Arturo Ruiz” block of the FARC, El Tiempo reports.
Weds 11 – Para infiltration in DAS; victims’ reps to integrate Commission for Reparation and Reconciliation
· A commission created by the Government to investigate the police intelligence service (DAS) discovers paramilitary infiltration in the organisation. The commission accused high officials of protecting paramilitary commanders and of operating independently of government control. The report also recommended that DAS cease to perform policing functions and concentrate on counterintelligence, Semana reports.
· The National Commission for Reparation and Reconciliation will soon choose two representatives of the victims’ organisations to complete its membership. The National Movement of Victims of State Crimes has announced that it will not participate in the commission, which it thinks will promote impunity. However, other organisations of victims, especially from the Oriente Antioqueno, are keen to take part in the process and some have already handed in their CVs, El Colombiano reports.
· The Ecuadorian Minister of Defence meets in Bogotá with his Colombian counterparts to discuss security issues along the border between the two countries. The meeting was prompted by an incident occurred last December, when Colombian soldiers entered Ecuadorian territory while searching for the guerrilla, El Espectador reports.
· The Minister of Agriculture Felipe Arias expresses his concern over the conditions accepted by Peru in its negotiation for the Free Trade Agreement with the US. He stated that similar conditions, such as imports of sugar substitutes and disease and pest control measures, would be detrimental to Colombia and he would therefore oppose them, El Tiempo reports.
· A new Unit of Attention and Orientation (UAO) for displaced people is inaugurated in Antioquia. The UAO will strengthen and coordinate the existing local bodies that give support and information to the displaced population in the area, the governmental body Red de Solidaridad Social reports.
Thurs 12 – Govt and ELN to meet in February; Bogota has highest number of displaced people
· After a meeting in the Peace House in San Cristobal, the High Commissioner for Peace Luis Carlo Restrepo and the ELN representative Francisco Galan agree to postpone the negotiation rounds in Cuba to February due to logistical reasons. The government hopes to achieve a ceasefire involving suspension of kidnappings and collaboration to remove mines in several regions of the country. A humanitarian exchange will also be on the agenda, El Colombiano reports.
· A study from the Bogota Mayor’s Office reports that 13.3% of the displaced population is based in Bogota. 226,929 displaced people, out of a total of 1,706,236, live in the capital, which receives about 20 new displaced families a day. The report also shows that 53% of these people come from the departments of Meta, Tolima, Cundinamarca and Caqueta and that a staggering 40% of them are minors. Most of them are unemployed and half of those who work only earn about 3,000 pesos per day ($1.30), El Tiempo reports.
· Horacio Serpa, a former OAS ambassador and presidential candidate in the 2002 election, officially announces his third presidential campaign. From the Economic Society of Friends of the Country, he launched his 8-point manifesto, which includes a new labour statute and a negotiated solution to the conflict. He also stated he would not extradite paramilitaries as long as they make a commitment to dismantle their economic and military structures, El Tiempo reports.
· The Peace Community of San Jose de Apartado denounces the murder of Edilberto Vasquez Cardona at the hands of the army. Edilberto was the first leader of the Arenas Altas humanitarian zone, Peace Brigades International reports.
Colombia This Week is a news summary produced and distributed by ABColombia Group. Sources include daily Colombian, US, European and Latin American newspapers, and reports from non-governmental organisations and the UN System. The content does not necessarily reflect the views of the ABColombia Group.
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