CPTnet
17 June 2007
COLOMBIA: Forced recruitment and legitimacy
by Suzanna Collerd
A major problem currently facing the Awá people of Ricaurte is forced
recruitment by both the Colombian army and the FARC- EP (Armed Revolutionary
Forces of Colombia -- People's Army)--armed actors who justify their own use
of violence as legitimate but refuse to acknowledge the autonomy of
indigenous people, guaranteed in the Colombian constitution and
international conventions, as legitimate.
Despite the exemption from mandatory military service of indigenous
communities, the army continues to round up Awá youth; Awá governors
then have to travel to the battalions to 'prove' that the youth are
indigenous to get them released. Governors and coordinators of CAMAWARI
(Association of Awá Authorities of Ricaurte) have proposed an ID card for
their population that will demonstrate one's identity as a member of the
Awá community. Nevertheless, the army continues to insist that the Awa
conduct an annual census of each community, making a complete list of names
each year.
>From the other side, the FARC continues to forcibly recruit youth as young
as fourteen years old, disrespecting the autonomy of the communities,
violating national and international law, and forcing youth to fight against
their will. Governors have no mechanism for reclaiming these young people.
Furthermore, when these forced recruits escape, the FARC tracks them down
and assassinates them. Retaliation for having a family member in an armed
group includes forced displacement and sometimes assassination by the
opposing group.
CAMAWARI is clear in its position: "We are autonomous and do not have the
responsibility to fight other people's wars. Those who go willingly,
however, are no longer part of our community." CAMAWARI continues to choose
autonomy, coherent with their cultural identity, as the strategy that offers
the most hope for their future.
CAMAWARI does not forcibly recruit its leaders. To work as a governor or
community leader one must show deep commitment to the people in order to be
nominated and elected. During the one or two year terms, depending on the
position, the community expects leaders to walk all over the territory
visiting communities to help resolve problems, hear about people's needs,
and attend assemblies. Some routes are as long as ten hours at the brisk
Awá walking pace. In addition, peers and communities constructively
criticize leaders. The Awá people make their expectations clear, and
openly state when someone does not live up to them. Given the rigors
associated with the work of organizing, leaders must be highly dedicated
individuals who have converted themselves into channels of service to their
people.
It seems to me an organizational process that asks so much and yet is full
of people wanting to work has proven its legitimacy. In the case of forced
recruitment, I cannot say the same. Additionally, leaders in CAMAWARI are
capable of governing and expressing authority without the use of violence,
an advanced skill than most modern governments, including Colombia and the
United States, do not possess.
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