CPTnet
November 26, 2003
COLOMBIA UPDATE: November 1-15, 2003

Nov. 1

On their regular visit to the Ciénaga del Opón, the team spoke with the
commander of the army battalion stationed at the community school. The
commander said that "everyone in Colombia wants peace, but no one is willing
to compromise in order to have peace."

Nov 4

The team heard persistent rumours that FARC guerrillas are pressuring
members of the Los Ñeques community to buy food for them in
Barrancabermeja and transport it to the countryside. Community members fear
not only reprisals from the guerrilla if they do not comply, but also
reprisals from the paramilitaries who control the city if they do. Some
community members have been threatened in their homes by FARC members;
others have been threatened by paramilitaries when they have come into the
city. In conversations with the team throughout the period covered in this
update, community members expressed their difficulties in finding a way out
of this dilemma, and some are considering leaving their homes

Team members expressed their concerns regarding pressures on the community
by armed groups to the local "Defender of the People," a government human
rights office created by the 1991 Colombian Constitution.

Nov 5

The team formally agreed to accompany people involved with the peacebuilding
process in Micoahumado, a rural community in Southern Bolivar province that
has successfully negotiated with armed groups to keep them out. One of
CPT's first contacts in Barrancabermeja, the Jesuit organization Program for
Justice and Peace in the Magdalena Medio, works on development projects with
the nine areas that make up this community.

Nov 7
To follow up on a request from Protestants living in the CPT accompaniment
zone for a visit from a pastor, the team met with eleven members of the
Pastor's Association of Barrancabermeja and discussed hopes and fears for
greater church involvement in the area. The Pastors said that they plan to
do more work for peace in the near future, and welcomed the Team to continue
building relationships with their churches.

Nov 9
  The team accompanied a Catholic priest from the local diocese upriver to
celebrate Mass and perform four baptisms and two confirmations. The service
took place outdoors, with close to thirty people from La Florida and Los
Ñeques in attendance. This was the first time Mass had been held in the
history of the community.

Nov 11
 The team formally agreed to accompany people transporting food, clothing,
and medical aid to the Valle de la Cimitarra in late February, 2004. The
civilian population in the Valle, militarily controlled by the FARC, has
been suffering the effects of a paramilitary blockade for the last three
years. The humanitarian action is being organized both locally and
nationally by a wide range of social justice organizations.

Nov 13
At a community meeting in the Ciénaga del Opón, the team discussed its
accompaniment work in the zone and asked the community for a letter
affirming their desire for CPT's presence. CPT worked closely with the
community during their displacement to the Normal school in Barrancabermeja,
and has continued to make regular visits since community members returned
home.

Nov 14
  While heading upriver, the Team encountered twenty members of the
Colombian armed forces, who identified themselves as contra guerrillas.
After outlining CPT's role in the zone and sharing their hopes for peace,
team members invited the men to put down their weapons to pray. Afterwards,
team members thanked them for their gift of a moment without arms.