CPTnet
COLOMBIA UPDATE: April 1-15, 2002
Saturday, April 6
Carol Spring and Sara Reschly traveled to the Valle Cimitarra to
investigate a missing person, Nelsie Cuesta Cordoba, the president of the
Puerto Matilde local leadership council. She was reportedly "disappeared"
at an AUC paramilitary checkpoint outside of Yondo on the previous Thursday
when she was attempting to bring food and medical supplies into the Valle
Cimitarra, which has been under a partial economic blockade by
the AUC paramilitaries.
Spring and Reschly traveled to El Tigre, the town where Ms. Cuesta was
allegedly taken after she was abducted at the AUC checkpoint. In El Tigre
(a rural town of 78 families), there were five men sitting in front of a
house, along the main road, two of whom were cleaning two pistols. Reschly
explained to them who CPT is and asked for a meeting with the commander. A
man, in his mid-twenties, with an AK-47 slung over his shoulder radioed in
the request. The reply came that the commander was out of town and would
not be back until the following day.
Reschly then said to the AUC soldier with the radio, "We are concerned about
the disappearance of a woman who was taken at a checkpoint about two days
ago. We believe she is with you."
The man replied, "Yes, about two or three days ago we stopped a woman,
butdid not let her through. We don't have her; she went back on the road."
Reschly said, "Well, she hasn't arrived home yet. Therefore it seems she is
with someone, and we think she is with you."
The man said, "No, no. She is not with us. She left." Later in the
conversation, Spring asked the man what group he was with, and he replied
that he was not at liberty to say.
Sunday, April 7
CPT accompanied a family, threatened by both armed groups, out of the Opon.
The family used to farm and fish for their livelihood. They are now forced
to find work in the city.
Early Sunday morning, CPT received word that people living in the Valle
Cimitarra saw a body floating down the river. After searching for over one
and a half hours, Scott Kerr, Keith Young, and Spring found two corpses in
the river (near "El Cedro"): one male teenager and one female in her
thirties. A family member positively identified the female corpse as that
of Ms. Nelsie Cuesta Cordoba, the woman who was reportedly abducted and
murdered by the AUC. She had two bullet wounds, one in her temple, one in
her right eye, as well as a slash in her stomach. (See April 10 release,
"They Found Her Body in the River.")
Monday, April 8
Young accompanied the brother of Ms. Nelsie Cuesta to the morgue and
cemetery to arrange the burial. He then went with the brother to the
Fiscalia (police/ investigators) to file a report on the murder of his
sister.
Tuesday, April 9
Charles Spring and John Marks attended an emergency meeting regarding the
murder of an OFP (Popular Feminist Organization) worker, Diofanol Sierra
Vargas who was killed the night before. The OFP strongly believes that the
AUC paramilitaries murdered him.
In the evening, Charles Spring, Marks, and Young attended the wake of the
assassinated OFP worker.
While visiting families on the Opon River, Lena Siegers and Carol Spring
encountered three armed Navy boats that were on patrol. After the Navy
boats left, Siegers and Spring visited "Cienega del Opon," a big lakeset off
from the Opon River. On the lake used to be a bustling town called "La
Cienega del Opon." The families who lived in that town were forced to flee
in November of 2000 due to AUC paramilitary violence.
On their visit to "La Cienega", Siegers and Spring met five families who
have returned to their homes after being displaced for 1.5 years. Spring
asked one family if they have begun planting yet. The wife answered, "No,
we are afraid that they will come back and burn everything again." More
families plan to return back to La Cienega in the coming weeks.
Wednesday, April 10
Stewart Vriesinga and Young accompanied the brother of Ms. Cuesta to his
home in Puerto Matilde in the Valle Cimitarra. The brother is also being
targeted by the AUC paramilitary group.
Thursday, April 11
Charles Spring and Marks spent the afternoon in the port, an area where the
AUC paramilitary group is known for harassing and assaulting civilians.
Marks and Spring did not witness any acts of violence.
Saturday, April 13
Matt Schaaf and Marks observed an airplane and a helicopter flying low over
the Opon area. People suspect that these low-flying aircraft are military.
Sunday, April 14
Schaaf and Marks spoke to two lost fishermen on the Opon River. Local
contacts reported that after the CPTers left, three members of the FARC
guerrilla followed (on foot) the two fishermen down the river to question
them.
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