Colombia This Week
10/04/2006
Fri 31 – UNICEF and Inspector General launch report; 47 human rights defenders targeted in 2005
· A study carried out by UNICEF and the Inspector General’s office on children, water provision and sewerage systems will be presented this week in Medellin. The research shows that local authorities in Colombia are inefficient in administering sewerage and water systems and that this has a direct effect on high child mortality rates. According to the study, the provision of basic services in Choco department is comparable to Angola, while Bogota has a similar provision to Switzerland, El Tiempo and UNICEF reports.
· According to the World Organisation against Torture (OMT), the International Human Rights Federation (FIDH) and the Colombian lawyers’ collective CAJAR, 47 human rights defenders were killed or targeted in Colombia in 2005. The report also contains statistics on other crimes against human rights defenders, such as forced disappearances, torture, physical assault, death threats, and arbitrary detentions, EFE reports.
· The Colombian organisation Popular Training Institute (IPC) published a book entitled Pills for the Memory, which records violations of human rights in the Aburra Valley and Eastern Antioquia between 2000 and 2004. Jesus Balbin, the director of IPC, said that it is necessary to keep the historical memory alive, especially as the Justice and Peace Law fails to deal with the issue of truth, El Colombiano reports.
· Products made by internally displaced people, former child soldiers and victims of antipersonnel mines and endorsed by the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) were presented at the International Trade Fair in Cartagena. Andrea Jaramillo from IOM said the initiative was very important as it showed that people who have suffered injuries and traumas can still be productive members of society, IOM reports.
Sat 01 – Colombia lauded in US Congress; 88 indigenous leaders killed in 2005
· Anne Patterson, US Assistant Secretary of State for the fight against drugs (and former ambassador to Colombia), said that Colombia is the country that has made most progress in combating drug production and trafficking, during a hearing of the of US congress subcommittee on the western hemisphere. During the same meeting, a group of Republican congress members asked the government to devote all its aid to Colombia to a military offensive against the FARC, RCN Radio and El Tiempo report.
· According to the National Indigenous Organisation of Colombia (ONIC), 88 indigenous leaders were killed in 2005. The paramilitaries were responsible for the death of 38, 28 were killed by the army and 18 by the FARC, El Tiempo reports.
· The army killed 22 rebels in an offensive in six different regions of the country aimed at preventing guerrilla attacks during the campaign for the May presidential elections. 14 among those killed belonged to the FARC and 8 to the ELN, Reuters reports.
· According to the National Department of Statistics (DANE), the Colombian economy grew by 5.13% in 2005, compared to 4.78% in 2004. At the same time, the unemployment rate dropped by 1.2% during the period 2004-2005, Caracol Radio reports.
· The army deactivated two tonnes of explosives in a house in Puerto Rico (Meta department). The house, which also served as a cocaine laboratory, belonged to the FARC, EFE reports.
Sun 02 – Soldiers accused of killing 3 indigenous ; displacement needs more media attention
· The National Indigenous Organization of Colombia (ONIC) and the lawyers’ collective CAJAR accused the army of killing three indigenous people in the Guajira department last January. The soldiers opened fire against 100 Wayuu who were celebrating a wedding, with the aim of capturing FARC members. In the event, two people were also injured and three were arbitrarily detained, RCN Radio reports.
· The Colombian organisation Means for Peace produced a manual on how to cover forced displacement in the media. The journalist Arturo Guerrero, one of the authors of the book, said that displacement needs to get more media attention than it currently receives, El Tiempo reports.
Mon 03 – 3 councillors killed by FARC ; 2,000 demobilised to eradicate coca
· Jose Manuel Roa, the municipal council president of Arauquita (Arauca department) was killed by the FARC. The murder is the latest in a series of actions by the guerrilla group against civilians and social organisations of Arauca department, the Colombian organisation Regional Human Rights Committee “Joel Sierra” reports. Another councillor, Gerardo Amaya Amaya was also killed by the guerrilla group in Coromoro (Santander department). The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in Colombia (OHCHR) strongly condemned the events which are the latest in a series of attacks that have already claimed the lives of 12 councillors since the beginning of 2006, the OHCHR reports.
· The government announced that 2,000 demobilised paramilitaries will work in coca eradication projects. The initiative, proposed by ex paramilitaries Mancuso and Castaño, will be implemented in areas formerly under paramilitary control and will benefit from the ex-combatants’ detailed knowledge of the areas, El Tiempo reports.
· The Inspector General’s office suspended two senior army officers for 90 days. General Pablo Rodriguez and Colonel Javier Hernandez were charged with failing to defend the Peace Community of San Jose de Apartado from incursions by illegal armed groups during 2001 and 2002, EFE reports.
· Despite warnings from Ingeominas that the Galeras volcano in Pasto department might erupt soon, most of the population of the nearby areas refuse to leave their homes. The reason for their reluctance is the poor quality of the shelters provided by the authorities, Colprensa reports.
Tues 04 – Colombian indigenous at risk ; Colombia holds record for landmine victims
· During a speech at the UN office in Geneva, William Spindler, spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), warned of a looming humanitarian emergency among Colombia’s indigenous communities. Most of the smallest communities are not only at risk of displacement, but also of extinction, as they are threatened by all the armed actors in the Colombian conflict. This statement followed recent events in Colombia, where more than 1,700 Wounaan indigenous people are fleeing their traditional territory in north-western Choco, after the murder of two of their leaders last week. Arcelio Peña Guatico and John Jairo Osorio Piraza were schoolteachers and there are fears that more assassinations could follow, as other leaders have received threats, UNHCR, BBC and EFE report.
· During events to mark the UN International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action, Colombian Vice-president Francisco Santos stated that Colombia has become the country with the highest number of landmine victims in the world, overtaking Cambodia and Afghanistan. Santos also said that the FARC continue to plant mines in order to protect their illicit crops and to stop the advance of army troops, Reuters and SNE report.
· A video, released by a Colombian group known as Social Front for Peace, claimed that journalist Hollman Morris is linked to a guerrilla group. The reporter dismissed the allegation, which however could pose great danger to his personal security, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) reports.
· President Uribe said that the demobilisation process has contributed to the improvement of security indicators in the country. He added that between 2002 and 2005 the number of homicides attributed to paramilitaries dropped 72% as a result of the Democratic Security policy, SNE reports.
· Colombia and El Salvador have agreed to meet in May to start negotiations on a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between the two countries, El Tiempo reports.
Weds 05 – Increasing resources to the defence sector; paramilitaries not to be forced to confess
· According to a report by the Development Studies Institute of the National University (CID), increasing financial resources are being destined to the defence sector, to the detriment of investments in education. During the first year of the Uribe administration the increase in the defence budget was 18%, while that in the education budget was only 1.1%, Caracol Radio reports. Another report from the Auditor’s office also concluded that figures for social spending have been inflated by the government, through the inclusion of defence expenditure in the category, El Tiempo reports.
· The High Commissioner for Peace, Luis Carlos Restrepo, said that paramilitaries should not be forced to confess their crimes, otherwise they would be subjected to psychological coercion and could even confess crimes that they have not committed. The statement caused strong reactions among the organisations that defend the victims. Amid the controversy, the Constitutional Court started analysing the Justice and Peace Law, after a series of complaints had been filed against it on grounds of unconstitutionality, Colprensa and El Tiempo report.
· According to a report by the Conflict Analysis Resource Centre (CERAC) and the Small Arms Survey of Geneva University, between 1979 and 2005 475,000 people were killed in Colombia by firearms, making these the main cause of death in the country. The report suggests that about 4m weapons are present in Colombia, 2.4 of which are illegal, the Financial Times and Colprensa report.
· 12 soldiers were killed in Puerto Rico (Meta department), after being ambushed by 70 rebels of the 44th Front of the FARC. Three soldiers also died in another battle with the guerrilla group in Valle department, BBC reports.
Thurs 06 – BP extracts its billionth barrel; Colombia needs to be more competitive
· The oil company British Petroleum (BP) extracted its billionth barrel in the oilfield of Cusiana (Casanare department). The British company started oil extraction in the area in the early 1990s, leading to its expansion and development. However, many residents criticise the fact that oil royalties have not been invested in the department’s infrastructure, that the towns are now overpopulated, that agriculture has stagnated and that the environment has been damaged, El Tiempo reports.
· According to the World Economic Forum, Colombia needs to improve its health and education systems, in order to be more competitive and receive more foreign investment. Because of limitations in the above areas, Colombia is positioned fifth in a list of the most competitive Latin American countries, behind much smaller economies, El Tiempo reports. However, according to a report by the Bank of the Republic, foreign direct investments in Colombia reached an all-time high in 2005, El Colombiano reports.
· The government denied it would implement a reduction in the minimum wage, as recommended by the World Bank. Carlos Rodriguez, the president of the National Trade Union Confederation (CUT), said trade unions do not understand this proposal, as the World Bank had recently expressed its concern over the high levels of poverty in Colombia, Caracol Radio reports.
· The German citizen Lothar Hintze, who had been kidnapped five years ago, was released by the FARC. His release was negotiated by the German and Colombian government, the International Red Cross and the Colombian Catholic Church, AP reports.
· The Ministers of the Andean Community of Nations (CAN) met in Lima to resolve their differences. The meeting was organised after the Venezuelan and Bolivian presidents Hugo Chavez and Evo Morales had criticised Colombia and Peru for signing Free Trade Agreements with the US, El Tiempo 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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