Colombia: “Dialogue is the Answer”

Facebook
Twitter
Email
WhatsApp
Print

 

People's message: by Stewart Vriesinga      

Those most affected by the war in Colombia – indigenous communities, Afro-Colombians, and subsistence farmers from rural areas all over the country – are seldom heard from and almost never consulted about solutions to the violence.

Over 15,000 of them travelled great distances to meet in Barrancabermeja from 12-15 August.  They gathered for a People’s Forum to work out and propose their own solutions to a conflict that continues to threaten their lives and livelihoods, their traditional lands, and their cultural identities.

Creating tent cities with open-air kitchens, participants shared experiences, attended workshops, and offered theatrical and musical presentations.  By the end of the weekend, they had developed their own manifesto for peace in Colombia which they sent to all branches of government, guerrilla groups, and the media.

National Gathering of Peasant, Afro-descendent, and Indigenous Communities for Land and Peace in Colombia“It is urgent that we all work together to consolidate a culture of peace,” their statement read.  “We believe that all parties involved directly in the confrontation should adopt a bilateral cessation of hostilities, opening the possibility of dialogue…”

Both guerilla groups – the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia-Popular Army (FARC-EP) and the National Liberation Army (ELN) – sent messages indicating their desire to enter into negotiations; however, participants of the People’s Forum expressed doubt about the govern-ment’s position, saying, “We are concerned that…the pursuit of a military solution is at the top of the government agenda…”

As communities experiencing massacres, targeted killings and forced displacement by all armed actors including state security forces, People’s Forum participants were clear about the roots of the problem.

“We are aware that the prospect of a political solution has many enemies, especially those that benefit from the status-quo,” they said.  “…Ending the war is not in the interests of those who have made it into a lucrative business.”

They continued, “We reject the government’s…economic model that… gives preferential treatment to transnational corporations…which exploit our lands and natural resources… This model destroys the peasant economy, ravages the territories of indigenous and Afro-Colombian communities…undermines our sovereignty, and threatens food security.”

“Democracy in our country,” they asserted, “…requires a new model that allows us to administer our own local resources and wealth for the benefit of the local population.” 

CPT will continue supporting efforts like the People’s Forum which someday may transform the balance of power to such an extent that civil society can actually make the government come to the bargaining table.

Read More Stories

An aerial view of Oak Flat lands, red stones and mountains under a blue sky with a layer of white clouds

Kill the sacred or stop the mine

At Oak Flat, the capitalist powers of destruction seem to want to play God – but how does one destroy all that sustains life in favour of scars of death?

A compilation of the logos of the undersigned organizations

Sekiz Yıllık Şiddet, Ayrımcılık, Tecrit ve Dışlanma

Mart 2016’da AB-Türkiye Mutabakaı’nın yayınlandığında, devletlerin mültecilerin haklarını koruma konusundaki uluslararası yükümlülüklerini tamamen göz ardı etmesi nedeniyle insan hakları grupları tarafından şiddetle kınanmıştı

A compilation of the logos of the undersigned organizations

Eight years of Violence, Discrimination, Segregation, and Exclusion 

On the eighth anniversary of the EU-Turkey Statement, we denounce Turkey and EU states’ consistent failure to uphold their international obligations with regard to migrants and refugees, and strengthen our joint commitment to challenge all official and unofficial policies that lead to the discrimination, segregation, and ultimately exclusion of migrants.

Skip to content