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Colombia This Week

Fri 27 – Referendum on humanitarian exchange; false passport ring dismantled

· During the visit of French Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy, the Colombian government announced it was in favour of a popular referendum on humanitarian exchange to be held alongside congressional elections in March. The government also specified that the hostages’ relatives should lead the campaign, not the government itself. However, the hostages’ families said a referendum would require long procedures and would only prolong the captivity of their relatives, Reuters and the BBC report.

· Colombian and US authorities dismantled a large false passport ring connected to Al-Qaeda and Hamas, the Colombian Attorney General’s office announced. However, US officials stated that the investigation only involved people linked to the FARC. 19 people were arrested on charges of falsifying documents and facilitating travel to the US and Europe for individuals believed to be members of terrorist groups, AP reports.

· The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the Colombian Red Cross began assisting 16,000 indigenous people who had to flee their homes in Cauca. The displaced had not been able to obtain food for several days and are experiencing health problems, the ICRC reports.

· New York City’s pension funds, a shareholder of Coca-Cola, called for a probe into alleged violence against union officials and employees at a company’s plant in Colombia. The resolution specified that the investigation should be carried out by an independent delegation made up of US and Colombian human rights organisations, AFP reports.

· A Venezuelan court will judge the 27 Colombians accused of participating in an attempted coup against President Chavez in 2004, El Tiempo reports.

Sat 28 – Mafia infiltration in Bogota; pollsters under threat in Caqueta

· Colombian authorities are investigating the infiltration of mafia groups in Bogota. The capital city’s mayor Luis Eduardo Garzon reported a marked increase in wealth among the population at the same time as new crimes connected to mafia practices. During the last year dollar circulation increased from 1,234m to 3,114m, a phenomenon that according to experts cannot be attributed to any legal economic activity, El Tiempo reports.

· Data collection for the 2005 Census had to be stopped in Caqueta after pollsters received threats from the FARC. The guerrillas released two of the three groups of pollsters they had kidnapped, but the local director of the National Department of Statistics (DANE) said the organisation’s activities cannot be resumed until the physical integrity of workers is guaranteed, El Tiempo reports.

· Coca-flavoured chocolates are being produced in Remolinos del Caguan (Caqueta department) and will soon be sold in Europe through the fair trade networks. The initiative, set up by an Italian priest 16 years ago, received the National Award for Peace in 2004 and funding from the UN anti-drug office, Semana reports.

Sun 29 – Illegal detentions in Bolivar ; US soldier accused of drug smuggling

· Two participants of the 2nd Regional Assembly of Peasant, Urban and Mining Communities of the South of Bolivar, Edilberto Perez and Edinson Campuzano de la Rosa, were illegally detained by the Nariño Battalion of the Army in Tiquisio (Bolivar department). On the same day Edwin Santander Luna was also detained in the nearby town of Rio Viejo, the Colombian organisation Sembrar reports.

· A Fort Bliss soldier assigned to an anti-drug force in Colombia was found guilty of masterminding a drug ring that brought massive amounts of cocaine into the US from an American air base in Colombia. Sergeant Daniel Rosas was sentenced to 23 years in prison for money laundering and drug smuggling, the El Paso Times and AP report.

· Roberto Claros Pinzon, brother of the Governor of Caqueta, was kidnapped by the FARC near the capital of the department. Together with Pinzon, two of his friends and the driver were also abducted, El Tiempo reports.

Mon 30 – Controversy over Guarantee Law ; illegal detentions in Meta

· President Uribe decided to move the launch of his presidential campaign forward, after a controversy arose over the broadcast on two cable TV channels, for a total of 11 hours over the weekend, of a “community council” he held at the Presidential Palace. While opposition candidates accused him of violating the Electoral Guarantees Law, the National Electoral Council itself expressed doubts whether this was the case. Analysts said that, being the first time that a President has also been a candidate, there is widespread confusion as to what rules should apply, El Colombiano reports.

· Hersain Talaga Ladios was forcibly disappeared in Vistahermosa (Meta department) on January 27 by members of the paramilitary group Autodefensas de los LLanos. Yeimi Abigail Rueda and her 3-years old son Camilo have also been detained in the same area and are constantly threatened with knives and machetes. No governmental initiative has thus far been carried out in response to these events, the Colombian organisation Justicia y Paz reports.

· Six politicians have been killed in Cauca in the last two months. Although the police insist they are all isolated incidents, three victims were members of the same political party, and four had just met the Senator Elmer Arenas, who had previously denounced links between paramilitaries and politicians. According to Arenas, the killings were retaliations from narcotraffickers, Colprensa reports.

· The FARC denied any link with Rafael Pardo and reiterated their resolution not to sign any humanitarian agreement with President Uribe. The President was also criticised by Juan Carlos Lecompte, Ingrid Betancourt’s husband, who said any other president would have managed to free the hostages, EFE and RCN Radio report.

· The government will pay 400,000 pesos for each hectare manually cleared of coca, President Uribe announced in the Catatumbo region (Norte de Santander department). The President also stated that he will ask the UN to monitor the process, Caracol Radio reports.

Tues 31 – Central Bolivar Block demobilises; poverty is main problem for Colombians

· 2,500 members of the Central Bolivar Block surrendered their weapons at a ceremony in Santa Rosa del Sur (Bolivar department). Their chief Carlos Gimenez, alias Macaco, who had handed in his weapons in December, is wanted in the US but will avoid extradition thanks to the demobilisation process. More than 20,000 paramilitaries belonging to 26 different groups have now disarmed and the process is expected to be completed by February 7, 2006. Last Saturday paramilitaries in Puerto Boyaca demobilised, while the Magdalena Medio Block, under the command of Ramon Isaza, is due to follow on February 7, the BBC and AP report.

· According to a poll by Indepaz and the University of the Andes, the most pressing problems for Colombians are poverty and corruption, rather than the armed conflict. The poll also suggested that most people judge President Uribe very poorly on most fronts; however, 59% of the interviewed said they would re-elect him, El Tiempo reports.

· A group of FARC detainees issued a document entitled ‘Humanitarian Agreement for National Reconciliation’, which asked for their release in exchange for a promise to demobilise. The prisoners also asked for their lives to be guaranteed should they create a political party once they are released, RCN Radio reports.

· The Mayor of Medellin, Sergio Fajardo, suggested a new national lottery be created to pay for the reinsertion of demobilised paramilitaries. However, the proposal raised controversy as, according to Colombian laws, lotteries’ profits can only be used for public health initiatives, El Tiempo reports.

· According to the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), the privatisation process in Colombia will experience a boom in 2006. The main profits for investors are expected to be in the sectors of petrochemicals, natural-gas transport, power generation, banking, telecommunications and road transport, the EIU reports.

Weds 01 – Colombian incursion into Ecuadorean territory; State to pay victims of 1999 massacre

· Ecuador will send military planes to its northern border in response to a Colombian aircraft entering its airspace in pursuit of rebels. Following reports from witnesses of ground battles taking place on Saturday, the Ecuadorean Defence Minister Oswaldo Jarrin demanded an explanation and an apology. Colombian Deputy Foreign Minister Camilo Reyes said a formal response would be issued once a joint investigation is completed, but insisted the incursion was not intentional, the BBC and Reuters report.

· According to a sentence from the Council of State, the Colombian State has to pay 55,000m pesos to 120 families who were forced to flee La Gabarra (Norte de Santander department), after the paramilitaries killed 38 people in 1999. The Council claimed the army and the police did not act to defend the civilian population, despite receiving warnings of the forthcoming massacre. Carlos Castaño Gil and Salvatore Mancuso Gomez, chiefs of the paramilitary groups involved, are being investigated, although because of the demobilisation process, they cannot be arrested, Caracol Radio reports.

· The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) expressed its concern over the increased number of displaced Colombian people and has urged the government to take measures to counteract the phenomenon. On the other hand, the ICRC director of operations, Pierre Krahenbuhl, commended the process of paramilitary demobilisation as a step towards truth and reparation for victims, EFE reports.

· Antonio Navarro Wolf, prospective presidential candidate for the Alternative Democratic Pole, announced his withdrawal from the presidential race. Wolf, a senator and former member of the M19 guerrilla group, said it is vital to preserve the unity of the left-wing party and that he would therefore support Carlos Gaviria Diaz’s campaign, Reuters reports.

· 450 demobilised paramilitaries from the Heroes de Granada and Cacique Nutibara blocks graduated as “Peace Constructors” after attending a government-sponsored psychosocial course in Antioquia, El Espectador reports.

Thurs 02 –Debate over influx of drugs money; delays in manual eradication process

· Following claims by the Liberal Party candidate Horacio Serpa that the expansion of the Colombian economy is due to profits from drugs trafficking, the Minister for the Economy Alberto Carrasquilla denied that is the case. According to the minister, the high influx of dollars registered in the previous months, is mainly due to remittances from Colombians living abroad. The research body Fedesarrollo also stated that the influence of drugs trafficking on the national economy is negligible, RCN Radio and Caracol Radio report.

· The manual eradication of coca crops in the Macarena National Park suffered a delay, due to protests by the workers. 20 of these workers decided to leave because of harsh working conditions and a further 100 complained about their salaries. The protests, coupled with two attacks by the FARC, make the eradication process very difficult and might push the government towards a return to aerial fumigation, El Tiempo reports.

· Carlos Rodriguez, head of the Trade Union Confederation (CUT), denounced as unreal the unemployment figures released by the National Department of Statistics (DANE). According to the DANE, the unemployment rate dropped from 13,6% to 11,7% in the period between 2004 and 2005, RCN 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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By Lionheart on Feb 6, 2006, 05:46 in Politics & the war.