RPR Peace Mail 12-18 November
Weekly Update on the implementation of the Peace Accord. This week's Peace Mail covers: the farewell to victims in Bojayá; the JEP’s investigation on thousands of kidnapping cases; the foundation of a University for Peace in the jungles of Chocó; the rise in recruitment of children by armed groups; the government’s and security forces preparations ahead of national strike of 21st November.
Download Peace Mail / 12 - 18 November 2019
Bojayá says farewell to victims of 2002 massacre while warning of continuing violence: On 2 May 2002, the community of Bojayá, found itself caught in fighting between paramilitaries and the FARC: that day, a bomb thrown by the FARC hit a church where a big part of the community had sought refuge, killing between 79 and 119 people. 17 years later, the remains of nearly one hundred victims were returned to the community for a burial ceremony. Today, the people of Bojayá remain threatened by continuing violence. Combats between illegal groups and the armed forces, and forced recruitments and landmines have led again to the confinement of the community. While saying a last farewell to the victims of the massacre of 2002, the inhabitants warned about the “imminent risks” they faced. According to the Ombudsman, 2,250 people from Villa Hermosa, Egoroquera, Playita, Unión Baquiazá, Unión Cuití Mesopotamia, Boca de Opogadó, Pogué, Napipí, are confined in Chocó.1
Thousands of kidnapping cases will be investigated by the JEP: On 14 November, the Reconnaissance Room of the Special Jurisdiction for Peace received a new report of the Vivamos Humanos Corporation, the seventh report submitted in relation to the crime of kidnappings committed by the extinct FARC-EP guerrilla. Categorized under Caso 01, this is a national case against the policy of kidnapping or “illegal retentions and about the conditions of captivity of civilians, police and military, which is being investigated by the Jurisdiction. Up to date, 1,2076 victims have been recognized by the Jurisdiction, and 56 voluntary declarations of perpetrators have been heard. In November and December, the JEP will continue with the registration of the collective declarations in the Territorial Spaces for Training and Capacitation and in the main cities, with middle- and lower-ranking commanders of each block of the former guerrilla.2
A University for Peace sees the light in the jungles of Chocó: The community of Cacarica, one of the communities the most affected by the armed conflict and which was forced to displace entirely two decade ago, launched its very own University for Peace. An initiative of the local community, this university intends to promote coexistence, and to bring together perpetrators and victims under the same roof. It pleads for a peaceful existence away from the violence that illegal armed group keep exercising in the region.3
Forced recruitment of children, a cancer that is spreading : The recruitment of children by armed groups in Colombia has been at the center of preoccupations, following the fatal bombing that killed at least 8 minors on 29 August, and that led to the resignation of former Defense Minister Guillermo Botero and his replacement by the former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Carlos Holmes Trujillo. According to security sources, the forced recruitment of children is at the heart of the expansion strategies of the FARC dissidences, which intend to grow from 2,600 this year to 8,000 men by 2020. Three specific population groups would be targeted for recruitment: indigenous communities, boarding schools, and the most vulnerable segments of society. The Foundation Ideas for Peace has identified 6 departments that are in the eye of the storm: Meta, Caquetá, Guaviare, Cauca, Nariño and Vaupés.4
Government and security forces on high alert ahead of national strike of 21st November: With military forces ready to take to the streets and a decree that empowers the country's mayors to declare a curfew, President Ivan Duque hopes to control the strike of November 21st. Unions, students, teachers, peasants, ethnic communities, organizations defending the peace agreement, celebrities and even the Church have joined forces to march against the government, denouncing work conditions, the pension reform, the financial holding, privatizations, restrictions on social protest, among others. The government, which only enjoys an approval rate of 31%, has repeatedly warned about possible acts of violence or vandalism, while Álvaro Uribe, the leader of the Centro Democrático party (in government), has argued that an international plan was in march “to destabilize Latin America’s democracies”, referring to recent protest movements in Chile, Ecuador and Bolivia.5