S.O.S Colombia. Social leaders, "They keep killing us"
Summary of the interview
Carlos Nastacuas (2)
Milagros Verdensoto (3)
Gabriel Murrago (4)
Diversa comunicación: Carlos, Milagros and Gabriel, what is the current social and political context in Colombia and in their respective communities?
Carlos Nastacuas: After a month of quarantine, indigenous peoples and other organizations have been working on our social and organizational dynamics in defense of the territory and communities. We are concerned about what is happening in the Putumayo department, where a well-known social leader and human rights defender was assassinated, who had been promoting the process of restitution of illicit crops and revitalizing the peace process
In Colombia, dissident groups from the Farc and paramilitaries continue to emerge, threatening and assassinating social leaders, representatives of political parties opposed to the national government, an issue that we have denounced.
Another issue is the situation of militarization of the territories of indigenous peoples, peasants and Afro-descendants, as a result of forced eradication, as has been the case in the Department of Putumayo and Nariño, an issue that is a silver policy by the government itself and its partners. This involves the implementation of glyphosate fumigation of the territories of indigenous and Afro-descendant communities, as a strategy to eradicate these crops.
Indigenous people are not saying that illicit crops are not controlled or eradicated, what we want is for the agreements reached in the framework of the peace agreement with the FARC - EP to be respected, as regards crop substitution are illegal, and the communities want not only that the crop substitution strategy be implemented, but that the government also come with social investment, that is, infrastructures, such as roads, and that people can take out the production since the land is highly productive. In other words, get out of that state historical abandonment.
With the government's declaration of quarantine, due to the Covid19, it is impossible for communities to comply with it, since they do not have the necessary means to comply with it, since people have to go out to work in order to eat, since the food aid granted by the government does not give them to stay at home even for five days, therefore, a social inequality that does not allow them to carry out the quarantine and take care of the virus.
Milagros Verdensoto: An issue that is being denounced in the Municipality of Villavicencio, Meta, is the situation of the prisons and the affectation by the coronavirus, 600 infected prisoners have been detected. The mayor appealed to the national authorities to take responsibility for this situation. In addition, in the municipality, there is social alarm, as crime has increased, due to the lack of resources to deal with quarantine measures. The mayor is making every effort to reach the entire community, which certainly has conditions of extreme poverty.
Gabriel Murrago: In Colombia and in the department of Choco, there was hope in the peace process, but unfortunately today we continue to count on the presence of paramilitary groups, and the confinement of the communities is total. Fighting is taking place between the National Liberation Army (ELN) and the Gaitanista Self-Defense Forces . On the other hand, in March the ELN ceased fire unilaterally, but other groups did not follow, nor did the police.
The Choco Department is a region bordering Panama and is a strategic area for drug trafficking and the exploitation of natural resources, which is why groups outside the law are fighting for it. And also, it suffers total abandonment by the national state.
In 2019, a caravan for life was held, in which 120 national and international organizations participated. The aim was to make visible the social situation of the area, and the presence of groups outside the law in the territory, the deficiencies in health and education. Today, the situation remains the same or worse.
We see from our communities that there is an interest of the government in power to end the peace process, and to destroy the dialogues with the ELN, so we make a call to resume the peace dialogues with this guerrilla. With the Pandemic, the armed groups are taking more of our territories and assassinating our leaders.
Diversa Comunicación: With the presence of illegal groups in the territories, there is a confinement for weapons, and another for the coronavirus, how to break this double confinement?
Milagros Verdensoto: As a human rights defender who is outside the country, I see it necessary to articulate as social organizations, and make dialogues with these groups, so that the situation is no longer appreciated than it already is.
Gabriel Murrago: A mechanism should be sought with international organizations to make the problem in Colombia visible, with the support of the international media. Encounters with political people, that it is known that Colombia is not at peace, that social leaders continue to be assassinated.
Carlos Nastacuas: There is a complexity to address this issue, because there is a government that has no desire for peace, and with it, new illegal armed groups arise, or armed groups that do not believe in peace in Colombia because of the Even non-compliance with the agreements with the FARC- EP , assassinations of the reinserted, economic and political interests, therefore, it is difficult to find a strategy for this situation.
Taken from the Panorama Program No. 19 of Emigrad @ s TV
Councilor Municipality (City Council) of Tumaco, Department of Nariño
Association of Women Victims Towards Peace (Asomuvicopaz), Villavicencio, Department of Meta
Association of Displaced Persons of Colombia Andescol and Cabildo Mayor Indígena del Bajo Atrato CAMIZBA