In recent weeks, seemingly every day there is news of another massacre in Colombia. On August 11, five teens were slayed in Cali, and five days later eight more youth were killed in Nario. The following week, there were massacres in Arauca, Cauca, Antioquia, and another in Nario. Then on September 7, there were three massacres in 24 hours, two in Antioquia and one in Bolvar a mere two days after a massacre left three dead in Cauca. On September 9, a video circulated social media showing police in Bogot killing Javier Ordez. Twelve more died in the ensuing protests.
Massacres have risen 30 percent during the first two years of Ivn Duques presidency. Through August 25, Colombian think thank Instituto de Estudios para el Desarrollo y la Paz (Institute for the Study of Development and Peace, Indepaz) registered 55 massacres this year. The killings coincide with areas where social leaders have been murdered in recent years, and where the now demobilized FARC-EP guerrillas previously controlled territory. While the massacres follow past patterns of violence, they also indicate new dynamics, where the actors and interests behind attacks are not always clear-cut.
The regions with the most massacres this year have been Antioquia with 12, followed by Cauca and Nario on the Pacific coast with seven each, and Catatumbo on the Venezuelan border and Putumayo on the Ecuadorian border with four each.
There is an interest to control these areas: Control of strategic corridors, of places for political control, and of places where there is conflict between armed groups, says Abilio Pea, a human rights defender based in Bogot who works with the NGO Ansur, which gives self-protection workshops to grassroots communities .
Its obviously systematic. It isnt coincidental that there have been more than 40 massacres this year. There is a pattern, says Pea.
Leonardo Gonzlez, author of the Indepaz report, pointed out the conflict between armed groups to control territory is linked the failure to implement the 2016 Peace Accords with the FARC-EP.
There are two phenomena. One is the homicides of social leaders, and the other is the massacres, says Gonzlez. These phenomena began to appear in 2016, and with a sharp increase more recently. We could say this has been a response by armed groups to impose order in areas vacated by the FARC.
Post-Peace Accords, Cycle of Past Violence Continue
In August, the number of social leaders assassinated since the 2016 Peace Accords passed 1,000. There is nearly an identical geographical correlation between departments with the highest number of assassinations of social leaders and the highest number of massacres. In Cauca, 240 social leaders have been killed, 133 in Antioquia, 91 in Nario, 75 in Valle del Cauca, and 61 in Putumayo.
The apparent deepening of the conflict should not be viewed in isolation but, instead, as connected to cycles of past violence. There have been patterns throughout history. During the times of President Turbay, torture was more frequent. During the time of Samper and Uribe, there were more forced displacement, Pea says. Today, they have combined selective assassinations with massacres as strategies of social control. As a way to exercise dominance in certain areas. And, obviously, there are economic and political interests in these areas.
Willian Aljure can also speak to the connection between todays violence and the past. He lives in the municipality of Mapiripn, on Colombias eastern plains, a disputed territory. He is the president of a network of Indigenous, Afro-Colombian, and campesino communities called Comunidades Construyendo Paz en Colombia (Communities Constructing Peace in Colombia, Conpazcol). Aljure has lost parents and grandparents to the Colombian conflict, and his land is currently occupied by the palm oil company Polygrow.
This isnt new, at least, speaking from the experience of the Aljure family. My grandfather had signed peace accords with the government that in the end werent upheld, he says.
The Colombian government has denied that there is conflict. As if lifted straight from the Principles of Newspeak, President Duque described the recent wave of massacres as collective homicide. The Colombian Defense Minister blamed drug trafficking, enraging victims and using a common trope for the state to avoid responsibility for its own inaction to prevent these tragedies.
The Colombian High Commissioner of Peace, Miguel Ceballos, went further, denying that there were any massacres at all, and attributing the deaths to disputes between drug-traffickers, except for the assassination of the eight youths in Nario.
Massacres as a Form of Social Control
Massacres are not collateral damage as armed actors dispute territory. They are an intentional strategy to consolidate social control.
Massacres are intended to send messages to those who live. If they want to have territorial control, they need to have social control, says Gonzlez of Indepaz For example, illegal armed groups are massacring people for having violated the quarantine. So, its a way to tell the population we are the ones who are in charge here. Massacres are a message to the population.
Aljure agrees. They are different contexts, but in the end its the same story. And the story is to kill at all costs to send a message. In Nario, they were adolescents having a good time, and look at what happened They arent killing old men anymore, just look at the quantity of children they have killed the past few weeks, he says. By killing children, those behind the massacres are trying to intimidate any resistance that might oppose their domination.
Another contrast between the current moment and the past is the clandestine nature of the modus operandi of the armed groups carrying out the violence. For example, in 2017, 62 percent of murders of social leaders were perpetrated by an unknown assailant or assassin.
It isnt like an armed group is arriving to an area, threatening people, and then carrying out a massacre, Gonzlez says. Its a new modality because before you knew the identity of the armed group and you knew what this group was trying to accomplish. Today, we dont know who is moving the chess pieces of war, who is winning and who is losing.
Violence Linked to Economic Interests and Paramilitaries
Enrique Chimonja is a human rights defender with Fellowship of Reconciliation and Conpazcol, and a victim of the armed conflict who lives in the department of Huila. He adds that in addition to the clandestine nature of todays illegal armed groups, the political goals of these organizations have been subordinated to economic aims.
Chimonja says that the economic interests go beyond drug-trafficking. The model has no other option but to resort to what it has always done, Chimonja says And that is to resort to violence and criminality. It has to take advantage of the states weakness to displace and continue consolidating its economic project of accumulation without limits that characterizes the neoliberal model.
Armed groups aim not only to control drug-trafficking corridors but the resources in these disputed regions. Extractive economic projects exist in many of the municipalities where there have been massacres. For example, in El Tambo, Cauca, where six were killed on August 21, there are solicitations for coal mining licenses. In Samaniego, Nario, where two massacres happened this year including the eight youth killed in on August 15, there was a meeting between the mayor and the National Mining Agency in 2017 to explore the extraction of gold and other minerals. Arauca, where five where killed on August 21, has extensive oil interests. The Canadian company Colombian Crest Gold Corp owns gold mining titles in the municipality of Venecia, Antioquia where three were killed on August 23, and the municipality of Ands, Antioquia, where three were killed on August 28, has a dozen mining concessions in gold, coal, and other minerals with solicitudes for dozens more. In the region of Catatumbo, where four massacres have happened this year, there are agro-industrial and mining interests at stake.
Aside from achieving territorial control and controlling populations, Aljure refers to a third factor which he was almost reluctant to admit. The current political context of Colombia includes the recent order by the Supreme Court to put the former President lvaro Uribe Vlez on house arrest.
Pea says that while there is no direct relation between the order to arrest Uribe and the massacres, there are correlations. He says that since the days of Pablo Escobar, a sort of mafia-drug trafficking-landowning class had been rising in power, peaking with the arrival of Uribe to the presidency in 2002. And now, we are in a moment where this power is in decline, and the capture of Uribe is a symbol of this. However, this doesnt mean the power will end soon, Pea says.
The spirit, the mentality of paramilitarism has been conceived by the ex-president Uribe. With the Convivir, with the massacres, with the parapolitica, are all connected to the ex-president Uribe. And this continues intact. This hasnt changed, Pea says. The Convivir was a legal mechanism created in the 1990s to allow for private citizens to defend themselves against the guerrillas, but became a nexus for coordination between paramilitaries, militaries, and private companies. While governor of Antioquia, Uribe advocated for the use of Convivir throughout the department. The parapolitica scandal involved over one hundred Colombian lawmakers and politicians under investigation for relationships with paramilitary groups. Recently released cables show that during the Bush Administration, the U.S. Defense Departments strongly suspected Uribe of having ties to paramilitary groups.
Pea also pointed out the U.S. administrations unconditional support for Uribe. Vice President Mike Pence tweeted his support for the former president.
There has been fear growing in the territories of Colombia. Aljure, as president of Conpazcol, is concerned about community of the Naya River which received news of a possible massacre on August 23. This Afro-descendent community on the Pacific Coast lives in a disputed region, where three people disappeared in 2018.
Aljure says that more international attention to the massacres is needed. Not just to talk about what already happened, but to avoid what may happen.
Thomas Power is a candidate for a masters degree in Estudios Polticos (Political Studies) in the Universidad Nacional de Colombia (Universidad Nacional of Colombia) and was an International Human Rights Accompanier with Fellowship of Reconciliation from 2016-2018, where he continues to collaborate.
Read the original here:
Massacres in Colombia Lay Bare Next Phase of the Conflict - NACLA
- Twin Oaks Intentional Community - Twin Oaks Intentional ... - December 8th, 2016 [December 8th, 2016]
- The Camphill Assocation of North America Communities - December 9th, 2016 [December 9th, 2016]
- Cohousing - Wikipedia - December 11th, 2016 [December 11th, 2016]
- Communes: the pros & cons of intentional community ... - December 21st, 2016 [December 21st, 2016]
- Jewish Intentional Communities Conference - Hazon - December 25th, 2016 [December 25th, 2016]
- Common Fire Beacon-Newburgh | Creating diverse ... - January 2nd, 2017 [January 2nd, 2017]
- Intentional Housing Communities | www.hampshire.edu - February 5th, 2017 [February 5th, 2017]
- A First Gen Lawyer-Turned-Entrepreneur Pioneers New Standards for College Freshmen - Huffington Post - February 7th, 2017 [February 7th, 2017]
- Disparities in minority unemployment targeted by Iowa officials - DesMoinesRegister.com - February 7th, 2017 [February 7th, 2017]
- ACE program benefits low-income communities - Observer Online - February 7th, 2017 [February 7th, 2017]
- Want a happy old age? Get your friends to be your neighbours - Independent Online - February 7th, 2017 [February 7th, 2017]
- Coalition Calls Itself The 'Eyes, Ears & Voice' Of Pittsburgh's Black Community - 90.5 WESA - February 7th, 2017 [February 7th, 2017]
- 'A community remembers' coming to Hesston - Butler County Times Gazette - February 7th, 2017 [February 7th, 2017]
- Krista Tippett February 01, 2017 - America Magazine - February 7th, 2017 [February 7th, 2017]
- Serving the most diverse urban area on the planet - New York Nonprofit Media - February 8th, 2017 [February 8th, 2017]
- To truly serve the public, community stations must apply standards for what's said on-air - Current - February 8th, 2017 [February 8th, 2017]
- Here's what went down at the NYC launch of Ashley Biden's charitable clothing line - Technical.ly - February 9th, 2017 [February 9th, 2017]
- Appalachian's Alternative Service Experience among nation's top 10 higher education institutions for number of programs - Appalachian State University - February 9th, 2017 [February 9th, 2017]
- Pastor: We must build bridges between police and local black communities - Fort Worth Star Telegram (blog) - February 9th, 2017 [February 9th, 2017]
- Chris Wood: Now more than ever localize! - vtdigger.org - February 10th, 2017 [February 10th, 2017]
- A Business Plan for Healthy Communities - Hospitals & Health Networks - February 10th, 2017 [February 10th, 2017]
- The Death of the Ski Bum and Intentional Tourism - The Catalyst - February 11th, 2017 [February 11th, 2017]
- Heroin hits home: Highways provide "easy access" for drug trafficking in Franklin County - Herald-Mail Media - February 11th, 2017 [February 11th, 2017]
- How Anarchists and Intentional Communities Are Reacting to ... - February 11th, 2017 [February 11th, 2017]
- Ohio Continues with Next Phase of InsideOut Initiative to Combat Win-at-All Costs Sports Mentality - Norwalk Reflector - February 13th, 2017 [February 13th, 2017]
- Microsoft Executives to Keynote Summit EMEA 2017 Conference - Yahoo Finance - February 13th, 2017 [February 13th, 2017]
- Marnita's Table set for Wednesday - Daily Globe - February 14th, 2017 [February 14th, 2017]
- David Littlewood, guest columnist: Time to repeal Dodd-Frank Act and free up our community banks - Waco Tribune-Herald - February 15th, 2017 [February 15th, 2017]
- Ithaca organization encourages people to participate in National Random Acts of Kindness Week - The Ithaca Voice - February 15th, 2017 [February 15th, 2017]
- Portland groups form coalition to eradicate hate - KOIN.com - February 15th, 2017 [February 15th, 2017]
- Nash says 'there's more to do' on diversity at State of the County address - Gwinnettdailypost.com - February 16th, 2017 [February 16th, 2017]
- Anson County community meeting to fight poverty planned for Feb. 18 - Ansonrecord - February 16th, 2017 [February 16th, 2017]
- Spreading the Faith: Moving Coins and Moving Communities - Patheos (blog) - February 17th, 2017 [February 17th, 2017]
- If It Walks Like a Duck - ChicagoNow (blog) - February 18th, 2017 [February 18th, 2017]
- Immigrant Round-ups Stir Fears - Consortium News - February 18th, 2017 [February 18th, 2017]
- Pace: What Should I Give Up This Year? - Covington News - February 20th, 2017 [February 20th, 2017]
- J Mase III of #BlackTransMagick seeks to redistribute resources - Daily Illini - February 20th, 2017 [February 20th, 2017]
- South Side getting trauma center, but it'll be far more than just an emergency room - Fox 32 Chicago - February 21st, 2017 [February 21st, 2017]
- St. Louis Park cohousing community welcomes home all ages - Minneapolis Star Tribune - February 22nd, 2017 [February 22nd, 2017]
- The Benedict Option and Rod Dreher's LGBT Challenge - The Atlantic - The Atlantic - February 23rd, 2017 [February 23rd, 2017]
- Mark Sundeen looks for a better way to live - Missoula Independent - February 23rd, 2017 [February 23rd, 2017]
- Cohousing communities gain popularity, including here in Nashville - WKRN.com - February 24th, 2017 [February 24th, 2017]
- The Christian Retreat From Public Life - The Atlantic - February 24th, 2017 [February 24th, 2017]
- New senior living community eyeing Waxahachie - Waxahachie Daily Light - February 24th, 2017 [February 24th, 2017]
- Better health needs a diverse workforce - Greenville Daily Reflector - February 25th, 2017 [February 25th, 2017]
- Businesses: State needs more immigrants - Mankato Free Press - February 25th, 2017 [February 25th, 2017]
- Cohousing communities gain popularity - WDTN - February 25th, 2017 [February 25th, 2017]
- Letters: Dismiss Schimel, others for maps - The Sheboygan Press - February 28th, 2017 [February 28th, 2017]
- Drums, Voices, and Circles - Memphis Democrat - March 1st, 2017 [March 1st, 2017]
- Food: Four Short Talks brings community to the table - Dailyuw - March 2nd, 2017 [March 2nd, 2017]
- Family School rebuts report on lack of diversity - Coastal View News - March 2nd, 2017 [March 2nd, 2017]
- The Wall Street Journal explores trends in Christian community life sort of - GetReligion (blog) - March 2nd, 2017 [March 2nd, 2017]
- Renting land to highest bidder stumbling block for young people looking to start in agriculture - INFORUM - March 3rd, 2017 [March 3rd, 2017]
- Transportation/Traveling While Living Off Grid - Mother Earth News - March 4th, 2017 [March 4th, 2017]
- New School Board President Believes Schools Belong to Communities - The Exponent Telegram (press release) (registration) - March 6th, 2017 [March 6th, 2017]
- Worcester's retiree health costs 'unsustainable' - telegram.com - Worcester Telegram - March 7th, 2017 [March 7th, 2017]
- 12 on Tuesday: Leslie Orrantia - WISC - Channel 3000 - Channel3000.com - WISC-TV3 - March 8th, 2017 [March 8th, 2017]
- By walking the beat, Kalamazoo officers nurture genuine ... - Michigan Radio - March 8th, 2017 [March 8th, 2017]
- Sometimes the Grass Really is Greener - Memphis Democrat - March 8th, 2017 [March 8th, 2017]
- Is Clallam opening the door to tiny houses? | Sequim Gazette - Sequim Gazette - March 8th, 2017 [March 8th, 2017]
- New St. Paul police program aims to mentor recruits - Minneapolis Star Tribune - March 9th, 2017 [March 9th, 2017]
- A New Kind of Homeless Village is Coming to Kenton. It's a Big Deal. - The Portland Mercury (blog) - March 10th, 2017 [March 10th, 2017]
- Why We Need the Benedict Option and How It Doesn't Have to ... - Patheos (blog) - March 10th, 2017 [March 10th, 2017]
- National Expert Shares Thoughts on Environmental Justice - WUWM - March 11th, 2017 [March 11th, 2017]
- The Promise of Paradise features area - 100 Mile House Free Press - March 12th, 2017 [March 12th, 2017]
- Speak out about your experiences - Hibbing Daily Tribune - March 12th, 2017 [March 12th, 2017]
- Trust comes in several varieties - Muncie Star Press - April 8th, 2017 [April 8th, 2017]
- Intentional neighborhoods take root across country - LancasterOnline - April 8th, 2017 [April 8th, 2017]
- my family did the benedict option before it was cool and here's why it doesn't work - Patheos (blog) - April 8th, 2017 [April 8th, 2017]
- Saint Benedict's Mandate - Patheos (blog) - April 8th, 2017 [April 8th, 2017]
- Cohousing Part I: Creating community and reducing social isolation - Michigan State University Extension - April 8th, 2017 [April 8th, 2017]
- Searching for a greater interfaith understanding - Seattle Globalist - June 6th, 2017 [June 6th, 2017]
- The fight for affordable housing in Jefferson Park continues - Chicago Tribune - June 6th, 2017 [June 6th, 2017]
- A 'Justin Option'? Justin Martyr and the Ben-Op - National Catholic Register (blog) - June 6th, 2017 [June 6th, 2017]
- The Groves of Academe: On Keep the Damned Women Out - lareviewofbooks - June 6th, 2017 [June 6th, 2017]
- Curating Community through Intentional Placemaking - Urban Land - June 6th, 2017 [June 6th, 2017]
- Local ties: New tailgate market locations highlight business and community connections - Mountain Xpress - June 7th, 2017 [June 7th, 2017]
- How Power Street Theatre Company is taking on representation in the arts - Generocity - June 7th, 2017 [June 7th, 2017]
- Open house will celebrate Folk Art Guild's 50 years - News - The ... - Penn Yan Chronicle-Express (blog) - June 7th, 2017 [June 7th, 2017]
- Archbishop: In 'post-Christian world' fidelity, charity, truth stand out - CatholicPhilly.com - June 7th, 2017 [June 7th, 2017]