Change in US aid to Colombia. On December 26, 2007, President Bush signed into law the 2008 foreign assistance spending bill that has subtly altered - for the better - American aid to Colombia. The bill appropriates a total of $545.6 million for Colombia this year - an estimated $44 million less than President Bush's original request to Congress.  More importantly, the final bill begins to shift the balance of U.S. assistance away from military and police assistance.  Congress reduced military and police assistance by a total of $141.5 (31%) million and shifted much of this money ($97.4 million) to economic and social programs.  With these changes the US aid package has gone from a historic distribution of roughly 80% military aid and 20% non-military, to the current ratio of  56.6%  for military and police aid, and the balance for non-military or police assistance.  The bill also reduces aid for aerial spraying of coca plants - a practice that has harmed both Colombians and the environment.

In addition to the 31% cut in military spending and 70% increase in social spending, the bill also allocates funding to strengthen human rights in Colombia and to protect the victims of violence. The foreign operations bill includes explicit funding to provide witness protection for victims, to find them legal representation, to investigate mass graves in Colombia, to assist victims of landmines, and to aid the United Nations Human Rights office in the country. Solidifying this shift, the law binds human rights conditions in Colombia to 30% of military aid - an increase of 5% from the previous year.  

The bill also made advancements for Colombia's indigenous and Afro-Colombian populations. It includes $15 million for aid to help develop indigenous and Afro-Colombian communities. It also states that the Colombian armed forces have to respect the rights of the Afro-Colombians and their land and calls for a restriction in oil palm development investment if it leads to displacement or environmental harm.

Learn more here:
Read the text of the legislation here.
Access a CIP report here.
Read a LAWG analysis here.

Activist Actions

Indigenous community threatened again. The Comisión Colombiana de Juristas (CCJ) reports that the indigenous community of Embera Katío is being threatened once again by a hydroelectric mega-project in their territory.  According to the CCJ, the construction of the Urrá I dam in the 1990s has been, until now, the gravest threat to lives in this community. That project was, at first, not supported by the Colombian Minister of the Environment or the courts. The turning point came when the Paramilitaries sent a letter to the government stating that the Embera Katío population were guerrilla sympathizers. Following this, the project was approved and pushed through. The construction of Urrá I disregarded the spiritual relationship that this indigenous community has with its territory. Various groups were obliged to move by force and to transform much of their traditional habits due to the dam's environmental impacts. The new project, called Urrá II, consists of the creation of a plant approximately 10 times greater than Urrá I. It is feared that the environmental consequences of this new project will be far worse than before and will greatly impact the Embera Katío people. Until now, the paramilitary commanders involved in the hostile acts towards this indigenous community have not admitted anything under the Justice and Peace Law (Law 975 of 2005). Although reparation for this community has not been made, stopping construction of Urrá II should be a first step.

Help protect activists assisting the victims! Human Rights First reports that Rigoberto Jiménez of the National Coordination for Displaced Persons (CND) and the Legal Corporation Yira Castro, who works to defend the millions of Colombians displaced by war, has received many threats for his work. Jiménez, like many other activists has had his organization's offices broken into and has received threats in person, over email, and via telephone. In 2005, more than 40 human rights defenders were murdered in Colombia - many after receiving similar threats.

Help stop these acts of intimidation against advocates of the victims. Demand that the Colombian government provide protection to activists, find and prosecute those responsible for the threats, stop from inflammatory remarks that equate human rights defenders with guerrillas and terrorists, and endorse a Presidential Directive that recognizes the importance of human rights work. Take action and sign the petition here.

Colombia Steering Committee meeting. The Colombia Steering Committee (CSC) is a non-profit policy working group on Colombia that is co-chaired by the US Office on Colombia. The CSC will be convening a meeting of its members - nearly thirty organizations from across the US - on January 23, 2008. As part of this planning process, the USOC and the Latin America Working Group have invited Colombian networks of non-governmental organization to participate in the planning process and give input to the coalition's strategic plan.

U.S. Media Coverage of Colombia

ELN commander captured. Carlos Marin (alias "Pablito"), a commander of the ELN guerrilla group, was captured in Bogotá by Colombian authorities, according to a January 8, 2008 Reuters report. Marin was part of the ELN's radical wing who opposed peace talks with the government in Havana. Marin was wanted in connection with an estimated 200 oil pipeline bombings in the country. With his arrest, the government believes that the stop-and-go negotiations with the ELN can be reignited. Access the article here.

The FARC releases two hostages. The New York Times reported on January 10 that the FARC guerrillas released two high-profiled hostages - Consuelo González de Perdomo and Clara Rojas. They were handed over and flown to Caracas following months of troubled talks between President Hugo Chávez's and the FARC. Access the full article here.

"No military solution to the conflict." A January 12, 2008 Reuters article reports that after brokering the release of two high-profile hostages held by the FARC, President Chávez stated that the guerrilla war in Colombia could not be solved through more conflict. Instead, he proposes that peace talks can only be successful if the FARC and the ELN are labeled as insurgents and not terrorists. The Venezuelan president would now like to play a greater role in resolving Colombia's long-running conflict; an proposal not welcome by the Colombian government. Read the article here.

El Centinela de la Política Colombiana en los EE.UU.

Traducción por Rogers Romero Penna

Comunidad Indígena amenazada nuevamente. La Comisión Colombiana de Juristas(CCJ) reporta que la comunidad indígena de los Embera Katío está siendo amenazada nuevamente por causa del mega proyecto de construcción de una hidroeléctrica en su territorio. De acuerdo a la CCJ, la construcción de la hidroeléctrica Urrá I desde los años 90 ha sido hasta ahora la más grave amenaza a la vida de la comunidad. El proyecto no fue, al principio, apoyado por el Ministerio del Medio Ambiente colombiano. El punto de cambio vino cuando los paramilitares enviaron una carta al gobierno afirmando que la población Embera Katío era simpatizantes de la guerrilla. Luego de este incidente, el proyecto fue aprobado y ejecutado forzadamente. La construcción de Urrá I no respeta la relación espiritual que la comunidad indígena tiene con su territorio. Varios grupos fueron obligados a movilizarse por amenazas y a cambiar sus costumbres y tradiciones debido a los impactos medioambientales que la represa representa. El nuevo proyecto, llamado Urrá II, consiste en la creación de una planta hidroeléctrica 10 veces más grande que Urrá I. Se proyecta que las consecuencias medioambientales de este proyecto serán mucho peores y afectarán mayormente a la población Embera Katío. Los comandantes paramilitares no han admitido estos actos de hostilidad dirigidos hacia la comunidad indígena, obligación legal contenida en la ley de Justicia y Paz, ley 975 de 2005, la cual regula el proceso de desmovilización. Aunque no ha habido reparación a la comunidad por estos actos, por lo que el primer paso que se debe tomar es la interrupción de la construcción de Urrá II.

¡Ayude a proteger a los activistas que asisten a las víctimas! Human Rights First reportó que Rigoberto Jiménez, de la Comisión Nacional de Desplazados (CND), igualmente de la Corporación Legal Yira Castro, y quien trabaja defendiendo a millones de desplazados por la guerra, ha recibido amenazas debido a su trabajo. Ha Jiménez, como ha muchos otros activistas, le han forzado, penetrado y robado la oficina de la organización y recibido amenazas de muerte en persona, en su e-mail y por vía telefónica. En el año 2005, más de 40 defensores de derechos humanos fueron asesinados en Colombia - muchos de los cuales recibieron amenazas similares.

Ayude a detener estos actos de intimidación en contra de los defensores de las víctimas. Requiera que el gobierno colombiano provea protección a los activistas, encuentre e investigue a los responsables de estas amenazas, se retracte y cese los comentarios difamatorios que equiparan a los defensores de derechos humanos con guerrilleros y terroristas, y determine una directiva presidencial que reconozca la importancia del trabajo en derechos humanos. Tome acción y firme la petición aquí.

Reunión del Comité sobre Asuntos Colombianos (Colombia Steering Committee).  El Comité para Asuntos Colombianos (Colombia Steering Committee, CSC) es una organización sin ánimo de lucro que trabaja asuntos de política colombiana, el cual es codirigido por US Office on Colombia (USOC). El CSC estará convocando a una reunión de sus miembros - cerca de treinta organizaciones en todos los Estados Unidos - el 23 de enero del año 2008. Como parte de este proceso de planeación, USOC y the Latin America Working Group han invitado a redes de organizaciones no gubernamentales colombianas a participar en este proceso y dar su opinión dentro del desarrollo del plan estratégico de la coalición.