Womyn’s Social movement against War and for Peace

Southern Bolivar Agricultural-Mining Federation (AGROMISBOL)

AGROMISBOL (Southern Bolivar Agricultural-Mining Federation) is a federation of primarily subsistence small-scale miners and peasant farmers throughout the entire Sierra de San Lucas mountain range in South Bolívar. Although their peasant economy is supporting hundreds of thousands of people, their very presence in a resource-rich part of the country is considered to be a barrier to economic development. The livelihoods and life-styles of these miners and farmers is in jeopardy because of military and paramilitary efforts to clear the land in order to provide international corporate mining and large-scale mono-crop agricultural projects with unfettered access to resources. Their subsistence lifestyles are seen as unproductive by global capitalism.

       At present, they have been abandoned by the state and there is little to no state infrastructure or services in the area. The communities of the area have organized under the umbrella of AGROMISBOL to defend their right to life and territory. Furthermore, the communities have attempted to dialogue with the government the La Mesa de Interlocucion and/or Southern Bolivar Roundtable for Dialogue. These discussions have failed because the government has failed to show to meeting and refused to continue dialogue.

On the contrary, the government has continue to militarize the region and persecute the leaders of AGROMISBOL. The leaders have been assassinated by both paramilitary and military. Most recently, there were the murders of Alejandro Uribe Chacón on 19 September 2006, Edgar Martinez April 22, 2009, OMAR ALONSO OSPINA RESTREPO and JOSE DE JESUS RESTREPO nn February 10, 2010.

Links to additional information:

For more information about the beginning of CPT accompaniment see

CPT Colombia release: Santa Rosa: Gold miners call for support to stop killings

CPT Colombia Translation of Announcement : Two Miners of FEDEAGROMISBOL Assassinated

Excellent background videos to the oppression and struggle of the small miners of the Sierra de San Lucas

“Crown to the Crona Goldfileds: the golden curse”.

CAHUCOPANA (Corporation for Humanitarian Action and Peaceful Coexistence in Northeast Antioquia

This peasant organization started in 2004 after years of repression from Colombian Armed Forces and Paramilitaries. Isolated from the rest of the province of Antioquia by a mountain range and historically abandoned by the government, the north-eastern region of the Antioquia province has had a strong presence of rebel guerilla groups FARC and ELN. As in most armed conflict the civilian population suffers the worst consequences. Labeling all civilians as guerilla fighters or as sympathizers, the Colombian Armed Forces and Right Wing Paramilitary groups prevented food and medical supplies from entering the region accusing the community of passing of the food and medical supplies to guerrilla forces. The Army and paramilitary groups set up checkpoints to monitor the movement of goods and forced people to pay illegal taxes for the right to enter goods into the area.

Community leaders who spoke up against this gross violation of International Humanitarian Law (laws which dictate rules of war and treatment of civilian population) received threats or were assassinated. Assassinated leaders were often dressed as guerrilla fighter killed in combat but the community has been able to show that they were civilian leaders killed by the army and have brought army officials to trial. The blockade and assassinations led to the population of the region organizing themselves and demanding respect.  They seek to stop the humanitarian crisis (serious lack of food, medical supplies and basic freedom of moving in and out of region) and the violations of human rights in their communities.  Every year they organize a caravan of different organizations called a Humanitarian Action to a community to visualize the continued human rights abuses and bring in much needed supplies that the armed groups have restricted entry. Furthermore, they host trainings in rural communities to educate remote communities on defending their basic human rights and s the struggle for a more dignified life.

Womyn’s Social movement against War and for Peace

To participate and/or more information: http://www.mujerescontralaguerra.com/

“Womyn will not bear nor raise children for war”  

The Women’s Movement against War and For Peace consists of 40 organizations, including CPT Colombia, that are constructing a women’s agenda that starts for the perspective of base communities. They work to develop a common agenda that enables them to collect experiences and proposals of womyn. With these proposals they develop a collective strategy that contributes to the construction of peace at a local, regional, national, and international level. In 2009, they help conversations around three topics. 1) Womyn Land and Development, 2) Womyn, War, Peace, and democracy, 3) Womyn and Social Movements.  For 2010, they are hosting the Womyn's and People's summit of the Amercias against militarization and in 2011, they will be hosting Womyn courts for the Truth, justice, and Reperations.