CPTnet
23 June 2005

COLOMBIA UPDATE: May 2005

The communities of the Opon have continued working on their joint
development process, closing the first phase of the project with Programa de
Desarrollo y Paz (Peace and Development Program). The Opon River flooded
the communities on several days, ruining crops. Local people observed
irregular presence of the two paramilitary groups (Bloque Central Bolivar,
BCB, and the United Self Defense Forces of Colombia-Middle Magdelena,
AUC-MM) during the month, as well as the presence of the armed guerrilla
group, FARC (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia.)The residents fear
armed encounters between these groups. The gasoline cartel of the Colorada
River, controlled by the BCB
Paramilitary group, continued intense work. No one reported the presence
of the Colombian Military in that region during May.

1 May
Two men, possibly intoxicated by the gasoline fumes and appearing to be part
of the gasoline cartel, drowned while trying to bring stolen gasoline up the
Colorada River. A third member of the cartel was rescued.

The team accompanied the annual International Labor Day March, that started
with a mass at the port of Barrancabermeja. Father Jaime Prieto, Bishop of
Barrancabermeja, preached about his solidarity with local workers, and
expressed his disagreement with neoliberalism and the international free
trade agreements. Approximately 1,500 people
attended.

6-7 May
Paramilitaries of the BCB took control of fishing on the Opon Cienaga. Now
they are the ones who decide on which days civilians may fish, who will
benefit, and what the punishments are for disobeying their decrees. The
paramilitary rules go against regulations put in place by government bodies
and confuse the regional fishing committee's coordination with the
government.

The participating families in the Opon Community Process received from
Programa de Desarrollo y Paz nearly 550 cacao seeds for planting. The seed
distribution represents one of the organization's productivity development
projects in that zone. Days after, a number of both egg-laying and meat
chickens were delivered to each family to help create a system of
nutritional and economic security for the community. The community is now
facing two problems: the cacao plants are sick, and the chickens are dying
from illness.

11 May
The team saw gasoline canisters stored on the Opon river in the Colorada
community.

14 May
After several months of displacement as a result of threats from the Middle
Magdelena paramilitaries, a farmer returned to his home on the Opon,
bringing happiness to his friends and family, and bringing new hope to the
community.

15 May
Assembly of the Espacio Humanitario del Opon (Opon Humanitarian Space).

Seven townships that compose the Espacio Humanitario gathered in