Colombia This Week
13/02/2006
Fri 03 – Tayrona Resistance Block demobilises; congresswomen expelled by pro-Uribe party
· 1,200 paramilitaries belonging to the Tayrona Resistance Block demobilised at a ceremony in Quebrada el Sol in the Sierra Nevada region. Their commander, Hernan Giraldo, alias el Patron, was sentenced in absentia in 1990 to 20 years in jail for the 1988 massacre of 20 banana workers in Uraba, and was involved in killings of Kankuamo Indians in the Sierra Nevada. However, under the terms of the paramilitary demobilisation process, he will serve a much lighter sentence, Reuters reports.
· Democratic Colombia, a political party allied with President Uribe, expelled two congresswomen for links with paramilitaries. One of the two, Rocio Arias, accused the US ambassador William Wood of lobbying against her because of her role in the peace talks with the United Self-Defence Forces of Colombia (AUC). Although Mario Uribe, leader of Democratic Colombia, denied any foreign pressure, a source from the US Department of State said that US diplomats were instructed to actively campaign for expulsion of politicians linked to paramilitaries, El Tiempo reports.
· Ivan Roberto Duque, alias Ernesto Baez, one of the paramilitary leaders of the Central Bolivar Block, announced that nobody would prevent him from pursuing a political career, suggesting he might seek a seat in Congress, EFE reports. Baez is currently being investigated for the kidnapping of the then-senator Piedad Cordoba in 1999; however, he cannot be arrested until the demobilisation process is completed, the Colombian Human Rights organisation CAJAR reports.
· UNHCR’s Assistant High Commissioner for Protection Erika Feller began her first mission to Latin America since her appointment to the newly created post in January. She started her visit in Colombia where she travelled to the Choco region and visited projects for displaced people in Bogota, UNHCR reports.
· A marketing firm has created a new image for Colombia, a heart with the phrase “Colombia is Passion”. The initiative was an attempt to portray Colombia as a positive country, rather than one famous for violence and drugs, The Dayton Business Journal reports.
Sat 04 – Councilwoman in bribe scandal; mayoral candidate threatened by paramilitaries
· A councilwoman from La Dorada (Caldas) was accused of helping paramilitaries extort money from Coca-Cola. Arrest warrants were issued for Maribel Galvis and for two paramilitaries, El Gurre and Nene, although none of them could be found. A spokesman for Coca-Cola said the company was forced to pay a yearly bribe of 10m pesos, EFE reports.
· Alfonso Palacio Niño, liberal party mayoral candidate in La Jagua de Ibirico (Cesar department) was forced to flee to Bogota after he received death threats from paramilitaries under the command of Tolemaida. Tolemaida is responsible for 300 murders and finances his militia with bribes from the coal industry, El Tiempo reports.
· The Colombian State will confiscate assets valued at US$236m belonging to the late drug baron Jose Santacruz Londoño in the biggest confiscation operation in the country’s history, the BBC reports.
Sun 05 – Number of demobilised paramilitaries multiplies ; US senate praises Plan Patriota
· The number of demobilised paramilitaries will reach 26,000, a figure double to what the Government expected. The official explanation for the higher figure is that, along with combatants, informers and support networks are also demobilising. However, doubts remain over whether the paramilitary groups have expanded during the negotiation process, or if common criminals are participating in the process to obtain judicial benefits, El Tiempo reports.
· A report from the US Senate Foreign Affairs Committee evaluated the results of Plan Colombia and recommended the US government keep supporting Plan Patriota. The report described the latter as very successful and the best way to defeat the FARC. The third phase of the Plan, which will take place in Antioquia, has been postponed due to concentration of soldiers in the south of the country, El Tiempo reports.
· Alirio Sepulveda Jaimes, a community leader from Saravena (Arauca department) was killed by Edgar Guiza Gamboa, a killer linked to the Army’s 18th Brigade. Sepulveda had been the victim of persecution through the legal system and threats; he had been illegally detained for alleged links to the ELN, the Social Organisations of Arauca Department report.
· 60 peasants who spent two and a half years in prison were set free in Sucre after the judge recognised that no evidence of their links with guerrilla groups was found, El Tiempo reports.
Mon 06 – FTA negotiations stalled ; humanitarian zones threatened in Choco
· Negotiations for the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between Colombia and the US had to be postponed until February 14 due to lack of agreement on agriculture and intellectual property. The US position on agriculture has been inflexible, asking for more access to the Colombian market for its products, especially rice and maize. Representatives of these sectors in Colombia have protested, claiming that such terms of agreement would lead to the disappearance of several agricultural sectors, the loss of thousands of jobs and the replacement of those crops with illegal ones, El Tiempo reports.
· According to Amnesty International, army-backed paramilitaries are planning an imminent attack against the inhabitants of the Cacarica River Basin in Riosucio Municipality (Choco department). The paramilitaries threatened to launch a raid against the two humanitarian zones Nueva Vida and Nueva Esperanza en Dios. Despite knowing of the existence of a paramilitary base nearby, the army has not taken any action so far, Amnesty International reports.
· Three workers from the firm Geo Milenio, subcontractor of Ecopetrol, were released by the FARC, after being pronounced missing last Wednesday in Yondo (Antioquia department). The three were carrying out exploration studies for hydrocarbons in the area, EFE reports.
· Raul Reyes, spokesman for the FARC, stated that the guerrilla group would not accept the possibility of political asylum for the politicians held hostage by the group. He also denied that the FARC is engaged in talks with representatives from France, Spain and Switzerland to discuss the humanitarian exchange, Colprensa reports.
· A group of demobilised paramilitaries will create a firm producing walking frames for disabled people thanks to financial support from the Dutch Embassy, the Government of Colombia reports.
Tues 07 – Uribe apologises to Ecuador; US aid to remain stable
· After being pressed by Ecuador for a clear explanation and apology, President Uribe admitted that Colombian armed forces entered the neighbouring country on January 28 in pursuit of FARC rebels. Uribe apologised to the Ecuadorean government and people; however, he added that the FARC organise terrorist attacks against Colombia from the other side of the border. The Ecuadorean foreign minister rejected the accusation and stated that his country has always acted against rebels found in its territory, the BBC reports.
· The Bush administration announced that US aid to Colombia in 2007 will reach US$700m, an amount similar to that granted in the last five years. Most of the resources will be destined to Plan Patriota, in particular to drug eradication projects, the war against terrorism and support to the judicial system, El Tiempo reports.
· During their assembly in Bogota, the members of the Episcopal Conference expressed their concern for the demobilisation process and the need for paramilitary structures to be dismantled. Monseñor Luis Augusto Castro, president of the Conference, also asked the government not to sign the Free Trade Agreement with the US if this violates the human rights of the poor, El Colombiano reports.
· A week after announcing his resignation from the electoral campaign, Antonio Navarro Wolf overturned his decision and stated he would run for the Alternative Democratic Pole as a potential presidential candidate, El Colombiano reports.
· Seven police officers have been killed in a clash with the FARC in the Macarena National Park. The officers were guarding workers involved in an operation to destroy cocaine laboratories, the BBC reports. The Government reiterated that the eradication work will go on despite the guerrilla attacks, RCN Radio reports.
Weds 08 – Ramon Isaza demobilises; illegal detentions and killings in Meta
· Ramon Isaza and his 990-member Peasant Self-Defence Forces of the Magdalena Medio demobilised at a ceremony in Puerto Triunfo (Antioquia department). Isaza, also known as the “grandfather of the paramilitaries” for having spent 28 years as a fighter, denied he profited from drugs trafficking and declined his responsibility for the massacre of La Esperanza in 1996, Reuters and El Colombiano report.
· 16-year old Dugan Velandia Oliveros and Alonso Ortiz, former councillor for the Patriotic Union party, were illegally detained by the army in Vistahermosa (Meta department). Paramilitaries in the area killed the peasant Jose Gildardo Parra Osorio in Puerto Rico (Meta department) and did not allow his family to take the body, the Colombian organisation Justicia y Paz reports. In the same department, two children were wounded by explosions during a confrontation between paramilitaries and guerrillas, AP reports.
· The “Eminent Panel on Terrorism, Counter-Terrorism and Human Rights” held its first national hearing in Bogota. The panel is a group of eight jurists appointed by the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) to examine the impact of the fight against terrorism on human rights and the rule of law. The jurists will meet with civil society organisations, Colombian authorities and the international community, ICJ reports.
· President Uribe announced that between 15,000 and 20,000 demobilised paramilitaries would be trained as civil policemen. The President specified that they would not carry weapons, El Tiempo reports.
· Francisco Galan, spokesman for the ELN, denied that he would meet with the paramilitary chief Don Berna, as the latter had announced in a letter, El Tiempo reports.
Thurs 09 – AI denounces attacks against journalists; UNHCR reports increase in refugees
· Amnesty International published a new report that denounces attacks on freedom of expression in Colombia and risks for journalists, candidates and public officials during the electoral campaign. The report shows how fear of impunity and retaliation is creating self-censorship among journalists who are then forced to rely only on official information, Amnesty International reports. The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) also expressed its concerns over freedom of expression in Colombia. In particular, the organisation denounced the shooting of radio host Gustavo Rojas Gabalo and the threatening of free-lance journalist Antonio Rafael Sanchez in Monteria (Cordoba department), CPJ reports.
· The UNHCR stated the number of refugees increased as a consequence of Plan Colombia. The organisation’s director Philippe Lavanchy said people fleeing Colombia are mainly seeking asylum in Ecuador and Venezuela while an estimated 2 million people are internally displaced, AFP reports.
· The FBI arrested a man in London who was trying to broker a $38m arms deal with the FARC, The Times reports.
· The government announced “Plan Democracy”, according to which 200,000 army officials will be deployed to guarantee the normal running of the elections, Caracol Radio 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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