Colombia This Week

16/02/2007

Fri 09 – Church acknowledges institutional crisis in Colombia; Another victim seeking reparation killed

• In his closing message to the Bishop’s Conference, President of the Episcopal Conference Monsignor Luis Augusto Castro, acknowledged that Colombia is living a serious institutional crisis affecting the legislature, the Executive, the administration of justice, the Constitutional Court, the Armed Forces and the bodies established to invigilate state institutions. The bishop also called on industry “not to forget that the economy should be at the service of man” and with reference to the emerging paramilitary groups that have appeared in several departments he said “he hoped there would be a big difference between new and old groups as the old groups received illicit support, sometimes from people linked to the State. We are sure that these new groups will not have such support”, El Tiempo reports.
• A week after the killing of victims’ representative Yolanda Izquierdo in Monteria which has highlighted threats against victims across the country, another victim has been killed outside her Apartado home, in the Uraba region. Following a meeting with the National Commission for Reparation in Bogotá, in which she expressed concerns for her safety, Carmen Cecilia Santana was preparing a petition for reparation following the murder of her husband in 1995, El Tiempo reports.

• Former paramilitaries say junior members of their ranks are re-arming to take over the criminal networks they left behind, a trend that would put the country's paramilitary peace process at risk. Pedro "The Knife" Guerrero, former paramilitary chief of Guaviare, said in a letter published by local media on Saturday that he fears this new generation of militia will assassinate him if he turns himself over to authorities as part of a deal promising reduced jail time. The letter followed a statement last week from former paramilitary boss Salvatore Mancuso saying that 5,000 former militia fighters have taken up arms again, backed by politicians and drug smugglers in what promises to be a "disastrous" turf war over cocaine-producing land, Reuters reports.
• Colombia halted aerial spraying of chemicals on drug crops along its border with Ecuador on Friday after Quito renewed charges that the U.S.-backed anti-narcotics program was harming residents and farms. Tensions between the Andean neighbours heated up in December after Colombia restarted the spraying of herbicides it says are not only safe but vital to combating the coca leaf. But Ecuador still says it could sue Colombia over the use of the herbicides, Reuters reports.

Sat 10 – Pope says Colombian Church will continue to speak out; Displacement in Nariño following military operation

• Pope Benedict XVI has called for Colombians to continue working for peace, forgiveness and reconciliation upon receiving Colombia’s new ambassador to the Vatican, Juan Gomez Martinez. According to the new Ambassador the Pope also said the Colombian Church will continue to work as a mediator for national reconciliation, El Colombiano reports.
• After the killing of a man whom the army accused of being a guerrilla in a military operation 15 families (73 people), including 11 children, from the hamlet of Santa Rosa in Nariño Department have been displaced from their lands. The community denied that the young man was a member of the FARC. Several people from the same area had recently fled following the killing of a community leader on 3 February by the new paramilitary group, Aguilas Negras, El Colombiano reports.

Sun 11 – Study uncovers extent of paramilitary fortunes; Key witness admits changing testimony to protect family

• A study “Y el poder “para”, que” uncovering the extent of investments of paramilitary fortunes is to be published in April. The book which is being serialized in El Tiempo, says that the fortune of the AUC paramilitary umbrella organization is invested in jewellers in the Island of Margarita, in the stock exchange, holiday centres in Costa Rica.. chemists, gold mines, transport companies, agro industrial companies, car dealerships, and between 2.6 and 6.8 million hectares of land which have been appropriated by drug trafficking, El Tiempo reports.
• Edver Fajardo, a key witness in the case of the Jamundi massacre of 10 policemen and one civilian in May 2006, has admitted he changed his testimony to protect his family and claims he was kidnapped by associates of Colonel Bayron Carvajal, former Commander of the army brigade accused of the massacre, El Tiempo reports.
• The lawyer of TV journalist Freddy Muñoz has criticized the Attorney General’s Office for releasing a photo of the journalist in combat gear apparently found in a FARC guerrilla camp. The compact disc containing the photo is being examined to rule out the possibility of the photo having been doctored to set up the journalist. Freddy Muñoz is reportedly in hiding after receiving death threats, according to El Tiempo.
• A Liberal Party politician has presented a law seeking to restrict the financing of election campaigns to public funds in order to avoid illegal groups influencing campaigns. Guillermo Rivera’s proposal would also penalize parties which allow “paramilitary” candidates to appear on their lists. The project also suggests delaying the October regional elections to allow the law sufficient time to be implemented if approved, El Tiempo reports.

Mon 12 – Commission calls for early warning system to protect victims; Conflict halves population in eastern Antioquia

• The National Commission for Reparation and Reconciliation has called for the urgent establishment of an early warning system where victims can quickly get in touch with authorities to request protection following a meeting with relatives of Yolanda Izquierdo, a victims’ representative who was recently killed, El Colombiano reports.
• The 2005 census has confirmed that half of the population no longer lives in the municipalities of Granada and San Carlos in the eastern region of Antioquia Department, after armed groups fighting for control of land have caused people to leave. Some people were victims of mass killings or selective killings but the majority have displaced, El Colombiano reports.
• The humanitarian organization, American Friends Service Committee, has nominated two Colombian groups (The Northern Cauca Association of Indigenous Authorities and the San Jose de Apartado peace community) for the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize for their commitment to non-violence amidst conflict, El Colombiano reports.

Tues 13 – International Organisation for Migration publishes action plan for municipal elections

• A report, "Conflict, Displacement, and Elections: Action Plan for Municipal Elections in Colombia", outlines measures needed and the importance of including of the displaced population in the electoral process following an IOM assessment mission to Colombia. In the municipalities of origin, mostly in rural areas, significant groups of voters and political leaders will be absent. This can lead to coercion, ballot fraud, and vote prevention by armed groups in order to increase support for their candidates. The absence of voters will increase potential for voter impersonation to occur. Elections in municipalities where the displaced are now living, large cities such as Bogotá, Medellin, Cartagena, and Cali, may be marred by administrative delays and bureaucratic hurdles for their registration, a factor which has previously reduced their participation rates. The population may also become an issue in the municipal campaigns because of the pressure on public services that their presence exerts. They may also be targets for vote buying schemes and intimidation, the International Organisation for Migration reports.

Weds 14 – Sister of women’s’ leader disappeared; paramilitaries handing over goods for reparation fund

• A sister of a member of the directorate of the grassroots women’s organization, Organizacion Femenina Popular (OFP), has disappeared after leaving home on Tuesday 13 February. Katherine Gonzalez Torres left her home for work at one pm and made a phone call to confirm she had arrived safely as she usually does. Since then there has been no news concerning her whereabouts, the OFP reports.
• The President of the National Commission for Reparation and Reconciliation, Eduardo Pizarro, yesterday announced the willingness of the former leaders of the Central Bolivar bloc of the AUC paramilitary umbrella organization to hand over goods and properties in seven areas of the country worth some 113 thousand million pesos (just over US$50m). Pizarro also said that former paramilitary leaders held in the Itagui high security prison are preparing a list of goods that they will hand over to the reparation fund for victims, El Colombiano reports.
• Almost a month after announcing that he was planning to eliminate the military penal code, President Uribe has changed his mind following a meeting with retired generals. The President established a commission of experts to make recommendations to reform the military penal code, making it more effective and independent of the armed forces, CM& reports.

Thurs 15 – ELN says fighting should not affect peace talks

• Fighting between FARC and ELN guerrilla groups in Arauca, Narino and Putumayo Departments should not affect the second round of exploratory talks between the ELN and the government , according to a representative of the ELN central command, Antonio Garcia. This is despite the fact that  some commentators have spoken of a campaign of extermination with some 300 members of the ELN killed, El Colombiano 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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