CPTnet
August 20, 2002
COLOMBIA: Barranca update--a letter from Scott Kerr

[Note: Scott Kerr wrote this letter prior to the death threats received by
the team in Colombia last week. It has been edited for clarity.]

August 3, 2002

Dear Friends,

Thought I would send out a quick update and prayer request while I'm in the
city a few hours.

This week in the Opon has been very violent. There have been two
skirmishes. Two houses have been burned, another shot up. Five families
have left an area that borders our accompaniment area. It was very sad to
see them leave; we saw the loaded truck. . . The father could barely speak
and was literally shaking with fear. They left after the guerrillas and the
AUC [a paramilitary group] had a fire fight there.

He leaves now his job and home for a new city, where there are no
certainties. It is unlikely that he will ever be able to return. There are
still reports that the FARC [a guerilla group], AUC and army are still in
the area. Gun shots have been heard almost every day this week.

We have not seen any armed actors, only seen the results of their actions.
Today we travel out again with mountain bikes to give us more versatility.
In all this chaos, twenty-seven more families are considering returning.
The return will bring more violence in the short term, but in the long term
will provide more security to the area.

We are travelling a lot on the rivers and trails, trying to keep people
calm and safe. They tell us if there was no international presence in the
area they would leave. Earlier this week Doctors without Borders (A very
cool organization that does medical care in conflict zones) had been
through the area doing health promotion work. They concluded that the
river was "one step above poison" (I dont really know what this means yet),
so they gave the farmers there a larger simple water filter to filter the
water before drinking or bathing. Some of those water filters have already
been shot up by the armed groups.

So I am doing well, in good spirits and good health. Another team member
has dengue, and in the Valle Cimitarra there are reports of a large
military/paramilitary (We don't know who yet) presence. We have a team
there as well. We are stretched!!!

talk to you all soon,

Scott