Colombia This (Last) Week

Fri 10- CODHES publishes new report on displacement; MSF aid workers released

· A new report on displacement by the Episcopal Conference of Colombia and the human rights organisation CODHES was presented at the Episcopal Assembly. The report suggests that the number of displaced people continues to increase, with 500 newly displaced every day. The report also calls for restitution of the assets abandoned by the displaced, which CODHES estimates at around 4.8m hectares between 1995 and 2003, El Tiempo reports. These figures contrast with official ones, according to which the number of displaced has decreased by 50% in the last three years, the Government of Colombia reports.

· Two aid workers from the agency Medecins sans Frontieres (MSF) have been freed by the armed group that seized them last week. The British and Dutch men were exploring ways of expanding the health services in the Norte de Santander department. The armed group responsible for the kidnapping has not been officially identified yet, but reports suggest it was the ELN, the BBC reports.

· The Colombian human rights organisation Solidarity Committee for Political Prisoners (CSPP) denounced the illegal detention of its member Gabriel Gonzalez Arango in Pamplona (Norte de Santander department). Gonzalez is currently held in the Modelo Prison in Bucaramanga, charged with the crime of rebellion despite being covered under the Protection Programme of the Interior Ministry and having been granted Protection Measures by the Interamerican Commission on Human Rights, the CSPP reports.

· Eduardo Pizarro, president of the National Commission for Reparation and Reconciliation, stated that the $150m the government will destine to victims of demobilised combatants vastly exceeds the financial resources used in similar processes in other countries, the Government of Colombia reports.

· The magazine Actualidad Etnica will soon publish a special report on the Wiwa indigenous people of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta region. The report will focus on the human rights violations suffered by the communities between 2005 and 2006, as a result of army presence in their territories, Actualidad Etnica reports.

Sat 11 –New measures to protect journalists; ex-paramilitaries hired by businessmen

· Vice-president Francisco Santos announced a series of measures to prevent new attacks on journalists, protect reporters who have received death threats and defend freedom of the press. A committee made up of police and detectives from the Attorney General’s Office was created to work with the Foundation for Press Freedom. Many international press groups and human rights organisations had recently denounced the dangers facing journalists in Colombia, which is described by the International Press Institute as “one of the most dangerous countries in which to practice journalism in the Western Hemisphere�?, EFE reports.

· Businessmen have been turning up at paramilitary demobilisation ceremonies hoping to recruit ex-combatants, which would entitle them to government grants. Ivan Salcedo, owner of a snake farm, said he hopes to recruit as many as 500 ex-paramilitaries. The government will also finance fishing and farming cooperatives created by the demobilised Tayrona Resistance Block, the Daily Journal reports.
Sun 12 – Millions laundered through gold trade; Betancourt’s husband to run for elections

· According to the magazine Semana, Colombian drug traffickers are laundering millions of dollars through the gold trade. The profits from drug sales are used to buy gold, often in Venezuela or Panama, which is then transformed into laminates and jewellery and finally sold to Colombian companies. The erratic behaviour of Colombian gold exports in the last three years further confirms the illegal practice; while in 2002 only seven tonnes were exported, the figure for the following year was 54 tonnes, Semana reports.

· Juan Carlos Lecompte, husband of kidnapped former presidential candidate Ingrid Betancourt, announced his decision to run in the March congressional elections, EFE reports.

Mon 13 – UN office annual report published; OAS recommends reinsertion of ex-paramilitaries

· The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights published her annual report on Colombia, stating that the Colombian government has not taken adequate measures to improve the humanitarian crisis in the country and prevent human rights violations. In particular, the report expresses concerns over the paramilitary demobilisation process, whose legal framework would not guarantee the rights of the victims, and the links between demobilised paramilitaries and state officials. The continuing violence by all armed groups, especially towards vulnerable groups, is also examined in the report, The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Office in Colombia reports. The government’s reaction to the publication was critical of both its findings and the procedure adopted. It noted that in previous years the report had always been discussed with the government before being published, the Government of Colombia reports.

· Sergio Caramagna, head of the Organization of American States Mission, recommended the government take all necessary measures to reinsert the demobilised paramilitaries now that the negotiation process is in its final phase. Caramagna said this is vital to prevent the demobilised taking up their arms again, Caracol Radio reports.

· According to the Interior Minister of Antioquia department, Jorge Mejia, demobilised paramilitaries were responsible for the massacre of a family of six which took place on 11 February in Sabanalarga. The crime had initially been attributed to the FARC, El Tiempo and Reuters report.

· The remains of a French citizen kidnapped in 2001 were found in Quinchia (Risaralda). Aida Duvaltier had been kidnapped in 2001 by the EPL, a small guerrilla group, AP reports.

Tues 14 – EU visits Colombian projects; Ecuadorean border incident resolved

· Fernando Cardesa, director of the Latin American section of EuropeAid, the EU’s International Cooperation Office, will arrive in Bogota to review EU projects in Colombia for the period 2007-2013. Cardesa will also visit the Magdalena Medio Peace Laboratory, which the EU considers one of the most important projects in the whole of Latin America and which involves 30 municipalities in the region. The EU is currently financing projects in Colombia worth US$200m, EFE reports.

· The Ecuadorean ambassador to Colombia returned to Bogota, after having been called by his government to clarify President Uribe’s statements on the border incident. The two countries’ foreign ministers Carolina Barco and Francisco Carron also met and expressed their wish to leave the incident behind, EFE reports. In the meantime, a UN mission is in Ecuador investigating the effects of the glyphosate fumigations carried out by Colombia, the BBC reports.

· The Colombian Commission of Jurists (CCJ) expressed its concern over land usurped by the United Self-Defence Forces of Colombia (AUC) being given to demobilised paramilitaries, as allowed by both Decree 4488 and the Justice and Peace Law. According to Gustavo Gallon, director of the organisation, the measure would be an insult to the victims, El Tiempo reports.

· Two high-ranking cardinals were guilty of receiving money from drug barons, according to a book by Gustavo Salazar, a lawyer who defended mafia bosses. The author claims Cardinals Alfonzo Lopez and Pedro Rubiano accepted money from drug cartels when they were bishops of Medellin and Cali. This money was then sent to the Vatican in exchange for high positions in the Catholic Church, El Nuevo Herald reports.

· The trade union federation Fensuagro and the peasant organisation Fundacampin denounce the detention of ten of its members in Piñuña Negro (Putumayo department). The peasants were detained by officials from the Attorney General’s Office without an arrest warrant, Fensuagro and Fundacampin report.

Weds 15 – 2600 children working in mines; US not to penalise firms employing ex-paramilitaries

· It is estimated that 2,600 children work as miners in Coscuez, in the Department of Boyaca. The children enter the tunnels in search of emeralds wearing only a helmet and being exposed to serious respiratory and skin diseases. They are some of the more than 2m Colombian children and adolescents who, according to the Ombudsman Volmar Perez, work in terrible conditions. Perez called on the government to comply with the national and international laws that prohibit child labour, Caracol Radio reports.

· The US ambassador William Wood announced that businesses in Colombia with ties to the US are free to employ demobilized members of illegal groups without fear of anti-terrorism sanctions; however, he made it clear that the employees should be closely monitored to avoid links with illegal groups. The news was welcomed by the 9,764 companies who are registered as exporters to the US, Reuters reports.

· A new report by the World Bank entitled “Poverty Reduction and Growth: Virtuous and Vicious Circles�? stated that concentration of wealth in Colombia is still as high as it was in 1938. The report also suggests that the armed conflict is affecting economic growth by reducing the average life expectancy by 2.2 years, El Tiempo reports.

· The mayor of Medellin Sergio Fajardo denounced the presence in the city of new armed groups made up of demobilised paramilitaries, El Espectador reports. Meanwhile, the negotiation process goes on apace with 552 members of the Bloque Sur de Andaquies, part of the Central Bolivar Block, demobilising at a ceremony in Valparaiso (Caqueta department), AP reports.

· Mass graves containing the bodies of 21 people have been found in the banana region of Cienaga, on the Caribbean coast. The victims are thought to have been killed between 2002 and 2004 by the Northern Block, a paramilitary group that is due to demobilise, the BBC reports.

Thurs 16 – Uribe to negotiate FTA; Inspector General criticises Justice and Peace Law

· President Uribe travelled to Washington to continue negotiations on the Free Trade Agreement (FTA). Once in the US Uribe declared he was satisfied with the explanations given by US negotiators; however, his task remains difficult as he needs to conciliate the views of the agricultural sector, which is critical of US proposals, and those of the industrial sector, which is pushing for the agreement to be signed. Juan Ricardo Ortega, high-ranking official in the Interamerican Development Bank, also said the FTA is necessary for Colombia not to be left isolated and unable to compete in the American market, El Tiempo and Caracol Radio report.

· The Inspector General Edgardo Maya filed a complaint to the Constitutional Court criticising Article 25 of the Justice and Peace Law. The article allows ex paramilitaries to maintain their benefit to an alternative sentence even though they do not confess all their crimes, El Tiempo reports. Solicitors’ International Human Rights Group (SIHRG), an international organisation based in the UK, and the Association of Jurists of England and Wales also filed complaints to the Colombian Constitutional Court claiming that the Justice and Peace Law does not take into account the rights of the victims, the Colombian human rights organisation CAJAR reports.

· The ELN is in Cuba for the second round of talks with the government. There they met with representatives from the Catholic Church and civil society organisations. Antonio Garcia, spokesman for the armed group, clarified that they would not agree to a ceasefire until proper negotiations are started, El Espectador reports.

· President Uribe announced a plan to launch air raids on the Macarena National Park, after six policemen were killed by the FARC, the BBC reports.

· According to a report by the National Police, the number of women involved in criminal activities increased by 195% in the period 2000-2005, Colprensa 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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By Lionheart on Feb 20, 2006, 10:02 in Politics & the war.