CPTnet
May 30, 2003
COLOMBIA UPDATE: April 2003
Tuesday, April 1
Around noon, two team members encountered sixteen AUC paramilitaries
(paras), six from the Ciénaga del Opón (a large, shallow lake connected
to the Opón River by a small channel), and ten from the Opón Point area,
at a civilian's house in Los Ñeques. The AUC had spent the night on the
premises after arriving Monday in the two groups from opposite directions.
When the team arrived, the paras were making their noon meal in the family's
outdoor kitchen, their extensive weapons and equipment spread about the
grounds. CPTers talked for over an hour with the two commanders, one known
to the team, and stressed that their presence endangered the civilians. They
asked the commanders, in the event of an attack by the guerrillas, who would
be most vulnerable in the firefight? When the paras left, the campo team
went upriver to check out rumors of other AUC in the area, then downriver to
be sure the sixteen were out of the accompaniment region. The team also
learned that two guerrillas had been observing the AUC presence from the
opposite side of the Opón.
Wednesday, April 4
CPTers in Bogotá met for an hour-and-a-half with three members of the U.S.
Embassy political section to discuss their visa situation. (CPT had not
received any visas for long-term workers since May 2002. One visa was
granted in March, 2003). The team was encouraged to step up conversations
with Colombian officials in order to clarify any concerns in the visa
process.
Thursday, April 3
Two team members attended a regional meeting in Barranca with the national
Human Rights Ombudsman. His address strongly criticized the inaction of
Colombian authorities and security forces in the face of paramilitary
incursions in Barranca. "The whole country watched the movie [drama] as
paramilitaries took over the city while the authorities stood by and did
nothing," he said. The panel of respondents included leaders of local
human rights organizations as well as high-ranking officials from the
mayor's office, the army, and the police. Human rights leaders pointed to
active collusion between the Colombian military and the paramilitaries while
security forces denied any official ties. The four-hour meeting was briefly
interrupted with reports that the husband of a member of the OFP
(Popular Women's Organization) had been assassinated by paramilitary forces.
One OFP member tending to the situation was grabbed and verbally threatened
just outside the meeting hall by a paramilitary member, but authorities did
not arrest him because he was unarmed.
Friday, April 4
The campo team learned that men on a large canoe transporting several Opón
River residents and prefabricated-housing workers were harassed by the AUC
commander in the Ciénaga del Opón for not checking in with the armed
group on arrival. The AUC paramilitaries have increased their presence and
control of the Ciénaga over the past number of months.
Saturday, April 5
The team met extensively in the morning to re-organize and plan future
activities. In the afternoon, three team members left for the Opón (CPT's
zone of accompaniment along the Opón River where several communities of
returned refugees are located.)
Sunday, April 6
The campo team talked with civilians in the accompaniment areas about how to
be more effective, given its limited size. Community leaders stressed the
importance of CPT's presence along the river. "The armed groups stay away
when they see you here," they said. They encouraged CPT to continue
denouncing the presence and activities of armed groups in their
communities. Team members hung a bright new banner at the home of one of
the residents of La Florida. He had specifically requested the banner to
read, "Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, today and forever."
Monday, April 7
Several team members met with various configurations of religious leaders
including Protestant pastors, Catholic priests and the director of a
church-based peace and development organization for conversations about
CPT's work, visas, upcoming delegation visits, etc. CPT continues to work
with local pastors to plan a visit to the Opón communities.
Tuesday, April 8
In meetings with the OFP, the activist organization for women which was
founded in Barranca, CPTers were told that the authorities don't respect
those who work for human rights in the city anymore. "It used to be we could
call them [the authorities] to accountability and they would at least try to
portray the image of protecting human rights workers. Now they don't even
do that," they said. They discussed the case of a prominent
radio talk show host (known for his scathing criticisms of the government)
assassinated the night before. Two days earlier he had announced receiving
death threats from the mayor. "Things are very difficult now," said an OFP
representative. "We definitely need to continue our work [for human
rights]. The question is not 'whether,' but 'how.'"
Wednesday, April 9
CPTers in Bogotá met with Carlos Franco, Human Rights Advisor for the
Office of the Vice-President, about CPT visa issues. The campo team
returned with news that a twelve-member unit of AUC paramilitaries from the
Opón Point had arrived into the upper Ñeques area shortly after the
previous team departed Sunday. The paras spent the night on the premises of
a family and cooked their meals there the next day. They told residents
that they plan to maneuver with more frequency through the Ñeques area.
Friday, April 11
Team members traveled upriver to make logistics arrangements in the Opón
River and Ciénaga communities for the arrival of the Colombian Holy Week
delegation.
Saturday, April 12
The entire team welcomed the arrival of the delegation from Bogotá, an
enthusiastic and diverse group of twelve members from various Mennonite
churches.
Sunday, April 13
The delegation did initial organizing and orientation throughout the day and
worshiped in the evening with the Baptist Church. Two CPTers left for the
campo (Opón River communities), learning on arrival that guerrillas
passing through Los Ñeques told residents that the next time they see
paramilitaries in the area "there will be a firefight," though the armed
group had withheld fire in the past because the community had asked them to.
Monday-Wednesday, April 14-16
The delegation met with various church and human rights organizations in
Barranca. The campo ream returned and reported a conversation with a
paramilitary at the Ciénaga about the "Fuera Sapo" (Get Out Informer)
signs still hanging on the lower Opón River's edge. The para soldier
disclaimed responsibility, saying his group would do nothing that would
frighten the citizens in that way, and indicated the AUC running the gas
cartel was responsible. CPTers removed the remaining sign on returning to
the city. The delegation left Wednesday afternoon for their two-night campo
visit to the Opón.
Thursday, April 17
The leadership team for the Colombian delegation reported drenching rains,
delaying their visit to the Ciénaga. Good news came with the radio report
that rain and cooler conditions had diminished the mosquitoes were severely
diminished by rain and cooler conditions. The delegation remained in good
spirits and had a well-attended afternoon meeting with the residents of the
Los Ñeques community. The city team conducted a meaningful Holy Thursday
foot-washing service.
Friday, April 18
The campo delegation began their day with a plan to fast until
sundown. They then conducted an all-day ritual of "the Seven Last Words of
Christ" beginning in the Ñeques community and ending at the CPT Barranca
neighborhood Catholic church. At each site visited--five in the Opón
accompaniment area, oneat the port in Barranca and one at the church, the
delegates read pertinent scripture, planted a small tree of remembrance, and
hung a banner. Particularly meaningful to the group was their memorial at
the site of the attempted killing of the Ciénaga boat driver in January,
where they recounted Jesus' words and hung
a banner saying "Forgive them for they know not what they do."
Saturday, April 19
The second-annual Colombian Holy Week delegation returned to Bogotá. The
city team later conducted an Easter-eve service and festive meal.
Sunday, April 20: Easter Day
The campo team conducted a short Easter liturgy at the homes of five
Ñeques families, then met with a group of ten Florida community residents
at the school for a similar service. Many accompaniment-area residents had
left the campo to visit family elsewhere during the holidays. The city team
attended area churches.
Monday, April 21
CPTers visited the old Normal school (shelter for displaced Opón-area
refugees.) Several more families have returned to the Ciénaga, while
others are waiting to move into small new homes provided by the government
in an outlying barrio in Barranca. The situation at the school was calm.
Tuesday, April 22:
The campo team reported that several residents of the Opón Point community
(upriver from CPT's accompaniment area) had been detained by the army for
tapping the nearby gas pipeline (the AUC paramilitaries do this tapping with
impunity.) The group included the driver of the boat used for transporting
children to the La Paz school. Their purpose was to get fuel to continue
this project. Meanwhile, neither the leadership committee of Los Ñeques
nor that of La Florida has succeeded in sustaining transportation for
children living at a distance from their two schools. Classes have been
irregular for even the small numbers of children who can walk to school. The
school at the Ciénaga, however, has held classes regularly since welcoming
a new teacher three weeks ago. The team also reported that a group of men
were preparing the soccer field at Los Ñeques to practice for an upcoming
weekend game with the neighboring La Pul soccer team. Bob Holmes, CPT
pastoral support coordinator, arrived in Barranca.
Wednesday, April 23
The entire team welcomed a lawyer and two staff from CREDHOS, the regional
human rights advocacy group, to the CPT office to conduct a half-day
workshop on Colombian constitutional law, and to address situational legal
questions the team might confront while doing accompaniments.
Saturday, April 26
Two CPTers left Barranca in the morning on the "motorola" (a
motorcycle-driven passenger cart on train tracks) to join the campo team on
the upper Opón River. CPT Intern Sandra Rincon attended a conference of
the DNI (International Children's Rights organization.)
Monday, April 28
CPT was represented at a meeting in Bogotá of international groups,
including Peace Brigades International and Witness for Peace, with an agenda
of planning a retreat on security issues.
Tuesday, April 29
CPTers in Bogotá met with the Sub-Director for Immigration Affairs of the
DAS (Department of Administrative Security) to talk about improving
communication around visa issues. Team members in Barranca attended the
weekly "Espacio" meeting of representatives of the various local human
rights organizations and proposed a Commission of Verification, whereby
these groups would travel to the Opón River region to hear testimony from
residents about how they experience the AUC and the FARC presence in the
area.
Wednesday, April 30
The campo team returned from four days in the Opón and Ciénaga
accompaniment areas to report that the federal army had been maneuvering for
several days on the far side of the Ciénaga. The only indication of
movement of illegal groups was one report that a FARC soldier in civilian
clothes had asked the whereabouts of "the gringos" (CPT), a common question
posed to civilians on the river, particularly families that the team takes
meals with. Residents also gave team members a report on the African Palm
Project on the west side of the Opón in the Ñeques area. A company
promising employment to neighboring campesinos is making progress in the
purchase of many small and larger plots of unused land, to a total of about
1500 hectares, to plant palm trees for vegetable oil production. Similar
projects in two other areas are rumored to have resulted in campesino
dislocation and growing paramilitary influence.
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