Welcome to LAWG’s Colombia News Brief, a compilation of top articles and reports on issues of peace, justice, human rights, and more in Colombia.
SPOTLIGHT
Historic Visit Highlights Afro-descendant Alliance Between the U.S. and Colombia
Raudemar Ofunshi Hernández & Gimena Sánchez-Garzoli, WOLA, December 4, 2024
“Peace and stability in Colombia are essential for Colombians and the entire region. A peaceful Colombia can dismantle illegal and criminal structures that profit from drug trafficking, environmentally destructive illegal mining, human trafficking, extortion, and the numerous human rights violations and humanitarian crises that these groups cause. For Colombia to integrate the 3 million Venezuelans and other migrants who may arrive, the country must be at peace.”
PEACE PROCESS
‘Total Peace’ paradox in Colombia: Petro’s policy reduced violence, but armed groups grew stronger
Tiziano Breda, ACLED, November 28, 2024
“Two years on, Petro’s government has reached some milestone achievements, such as a yearlong ceasefire with the National Liberation Army (ELN) […] and has managed to rein in an escalation of political violence that the country had been experiencing since 2019. However, this has been driven by a plunge in hostilities between security forces and armed groups, which has, in turn, fostered territorial expansion and violent competition among armed groups vying for the control of illicit activities.”
Colombia’s president had a bold peace plan. It is not working
The Economist, December 1, 2024
“The ELN is one of dozens of armed groups that have been locked in six decades of conflict in Colombia which have left some 450,000 people dead. Almost exactly eight years ago, then-president Juan Manuel Santos struck a historic peace deal with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), then the biggest rebel group, and scooped up the Nobel peace prize. That seemed, surely, to be the end of the fighting. Yet dozens of armed groups live on, and new ones have emerged.”
Slow Peace: Three Lessons from Grassroots Peacebuilders in Colombia
Angela J. Lederach, Peace News, December 2, 2024
“Indeed, sluggish, bureaucratic delays have characterized the postaccord implementation process across rural Colombia. Clearly, when grassroots peacebuilders criticize the state for operating with “too much prisa/hurry,” they are not suggesting that the accords are being implemented rapidly. What claims, then, are campesino peacebuilders making? And what does their approach to “paz sin prisa / peace without hurry” entail?”
US-COLOMBIA RELATIONS
The Price of Neglecting Latin America
Will Freeman, Foreign Affairs, December 5, 2024
“To the extent that foreign crises helped shape the outcome of November’s U.S. presidential election, it wasn’t the ones in Gaza and Ukraine that had the strongest effect. It was, instead, those closer to home that mattered most: namely, the spread of Mafias and Mafia states throughout Latin America and the corresponding mass exodus of migrants and refugees to the southern border of the United States.”
Colombia’s Cocaine Moment of Truth
Ambassador Mark A. Green, Wilson Center, December 3, 2024
“A recent United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) report suggests President Petro’s policies may be approaching a moment of truth for both Colombia and US-Colombia relations. The report finds that the area of land under coca leaf cultivation increased 10% during 2023, from 230,000 hectares in 2022 to 253,300 hectares. It also notes that moves by coca farmers to adopt more effective cultivation techniques in recent years have doubled cocaine yield per hectare compared to a decade ago.”
Delegación del Congreso de EE.UU. visitό Cali y Buenaventura para evaluar situación de derechos étnicos y sociales en Colombia
Semana, 26 de noviembre de 2024
“Una delegación del Congreso de los Estados Unidos, liderada por el Congresista Henry “Hank” Johnson, visitó recientemente las ciudades de Cali y Buenaventura, con el objetivo de analizar la implementación del acuerdo de paz de 2016, particularmente en lo relacionado con el Capítulo Étnico y los avances en la reforma policial”.
Hablamos con Henry ‘Hank’ Johnson, Representante de Georgia por el Partido Demócrata
RTVC Noticias, 25 de noviembre de 2024
“Delegaciones de WOLA y del Partido Demócrata de los EE.UU visitan por estos días Colombia. Los parlamentarios estuvieron en Cali y en Buenaventura hablando con las comunidades y palpando como avanza la implementación del acuerdo de paz de 2016”.
HUMAN RIGHTS
Colombia: The tortuous path of women searching for the victims of enforced disappearance
Amnesty International, December 6, 2024
“The report documents the reality experienced by the women who dedicate their lives to searching for the victims of enforced disappearance in Colombia, and the need for society to recognize these women and for the authorities to guarantee their rights, given the serious obstacles they face in demanding truth and justice.”
Colombia demands proof from UN of 20,000 bodies at Bogotá’s El Dorado Airport
The City Paper, December 6, 2024
“A highly controversial statement by the United Nations Committee on Enforced Disappearances has ignited outrage in Colombia, following allegations that ‘20,000 unidentified bodies are stored in a hangar at Bogotá’s El Dorado International Airport.’”
Narcos y políticos se apropiaron de las tierras que iban para las víctimas: denuncian ‘cartel de la tierra
Carol Salazar, infobae, 3 de diciembre de 2024
“El director nacional de la Agencia Nacional de Tierras (ANT), Felipe Harman, denunció la apropiación irregular de tierras en Colombia que estaban destinadas para las víctimas del conflicto armado y campesinos. De acuerdo con el funcionario, se trata de un “cartel de la tierra” que abarca miles de hectáreas”.
Rastrean lazos entre congresistas y posibles irregularidades con la adquisición de tierras
María José Barrios Figueroa, El Espectador, 30 de noviembre de 2024
“Herencias políticas, lazos de sangre y anillos de matrimonio sellan la conexión entre tierra y poder en Colombia, y la muestra son al menos cinco congresistas que hacen parte de una lista que estarían investigando, según supo este diario, diferentes entidades estatales, entre ellas la Agencia Nacional de Tierras (ANT), por la posible trazabilidad que hay entre las curules y presuntas irregularidades en la acumulación de terrenos y la ocupación de predios baldíos”.
CONTINUED CONFLICT
Un muerto y siete heridos deja reciente explosion de moto bomba en Jamundi, Valles
Redacción Judicial, El Espectador, 7 de diciembre de 2024
“Se sospecha que el atentado fue perpetrado por el frente Jaime Martínez de las disidencias de las Farc, lo que eleva la preocupación en una comunidad que ha enfrentado repetidos hechos violentos en el último año. Este nuevo ataque pone en evidencia la creciente situación de inseguridad en el municipio y mantiene en alerta a las autoridades locales y a la población”.
Colombia armed groups used peace talks to build strength, military commander says
Luis Jaime Acosta, Reuters, December 2, 2024
“Colombia’s illegal armed groups have taken advantage of the government’s pursuit of peace to strengthen themselves militarily and economically, the commander of the country’s armed forces said on Monday.”
Colombian authorities melt down thousands of seized weapons into construction material
Associated Press, December 5, 2024
“More than 23,000 rifles, pistols, revolvers, mortars, grenade launchers and modified traumatic weapons that were seized from criminal groups were melted down on Thursday in Colombia to be transformed into metal elements that will be used as construction material.”
THE ENVIRONMENT
Las imágenes desoladoras de la minería ilegal en el noroccidente colombiano
Jhoan Sebastian Cote, El Espectador, 2 de diciembre de 2024
“Cientos de kilómetros cuadrados de bosques y espejos de agua depredados por la maquinaria de la minería ilegal. Mercurio vertido que envenena el ambiente de pobladores y animales. Un negocio perfecto para el Clan del Golfo. Así es la pesadilla en Córdoba y Antioquia”.
Comunidades aisladas, escasez de agua potable y dificultades para pescar: así vivió la amazonia colombiana su sequía más dura
Lucas Reynoso, El País, 1 de diciembre de 2024
“La historia de Artea se replica, de diferentes formas, en las 14.000 personas que habitan o trabajan en el municipio amazónico — 4.500 en el casco urbano y 9.500 en las comunidades—. Enfrentaron una sequía que afectó a la región que comparten nueve países y que, en Colombia, disminuyó los caudales de algunas partes del río más largo del mundo hasta en un 82%, según el Instituto de Hidrología, Meteorología y Estudios Ambientales (Ideam)”.
The rise of coffee and gold prices: A blessing and a curse for Colombia
Camilo Sánchez, El Pais, November 27, 2024
“The causes and effects behind these price fluctuations vary depending on the product. Climate-related factors are at the heart of the coffee price spike, while the rise in gold prices is tied to a global movement of capital seeking safe-haven assets in response to geopolitical instability.”
COLOMBIAN POLITICS
Colombia’s President Petro replaces finance minister embroiled in scandal
Al Jazeera, December 5, 2024
“Finance Minister Ricardo Bonilla stepped down from his office on Wednesday, though he remained defiant in the face of accusations that he diverted funds from Colombia’s disaster relief agency and bought votes on a congressional committee involved with government finances.”
Colombia- Poverty and Equity Assessment: Trajectories- Prosperity and Poverty Reduction in the Colombia Territory
Maria Eugenia Davalos, World Bank Group, December 4, 2024
“This report, Trajectories: Prosperity and Poverty Reduction in the Colombian Territory, explores the factors behind the lower capacity of many to lead productive lives in Colombia, particularly their lower accumulation of assets. It examines how this capacity persistently differs across municipalities and departments and across gender, ethnicity, and migratory status.”
Estas son las razones por las que casos de la JEP no podrían volver a justicia ordinaria
Redacción Colombia +20, El Espectador, 3 de diciembre de 2024
“El presidente de la Jurisdicción Especial para la Paz, Alejandro Ramelli, dijo que las investigaciones que no se alcancen a terminar antes del fin del mandato de este tribunal podrían remitirse a la justicia ordinaria. El senador Humberto de la Calle, uno de los arquitectos del Acuerdo de Paz, calificó las declaraciones como ‘tremendamente graves’”.
Colombia’s police raid 11 prisons in attempt to curb extortion
Adriaan Alsema, Colombia Reports, December 3, 2024
“Colombia’s police raided 11 prisons in eight cities in an attempt to shut down inmates’ involvement in extortion. […] According to the police, imprisoned gang members have long played a major role in the extortion of businesses, particularly in Bogota and other major cities.”
Alirio Uribe dice que recusación en caso Petro es una “cruzada en su contra”
Redacción Política, El Espectador, 2 de diciembre de 2024
“El representante de la Cámara Alirio Uribe (Pacto Histórico) aseguró que la Comisión de Investigación y Acusaciones -de la que hace parte- resolverá esta semana la recusación en su contra para que no lleve la investigación a la campaña del presidente Gustavo Petro”.
Thousands of Colombians take to the streets to reject proposed reforms and rebuke the president
Associated Press, November 23, 2024
“Thousands of Colombians took to the streets on Saturday to oppose the policies of President Gustavo Petro, who accused demonstrators of trying to destabilize the government. Protesters in cities including Bogotá, Medellín and Cali decried a series of proposed health, labor and pensions reforms and accused Petro’s administration of corruption.”’
MIGRATION ISSUES
Number of unaccompanied and separated children migrating in latin America and the Caribbean hits record high
Unicef, December 5, 2024
“Latin America and the Caribbean also faces other protracted crises. Armed violence and climate hazards disproportionately affect the most vulnerable populations, including children. In particular, Colombia faces the growing consequences of protracted armed conflict with an increase in grave violations against children, such as recruitment, sexual violence and attacks on schools.”
Migración Colombia está restringiendo la salida de venezolanos que iban a ser asilados en Estados Unidos. Cientos de familias están varadas en Bogotá
Semana, 30 de noviembre de 2024
“En varios hoteles de Bogotá se hospedan cientos de familias venezolanas desde hace varios días. Los extranjeros, beneficiados por el programa Movilidad Segura de la Oficina del Alto Comisionado de las Naciones Unidas para los Refugiados (Acnur) y la Organización Internacional para las Migraciones (OIM), tenían todo listo para viajar a Estados Unidos, pero las autoridades colombianas no permitieron su salida del país”.
Desplazamiento y retornos, el ciclo que sufren indígenas en Colombia por el conflicto y la pobreza
Astrid Suárez, Associated Press, November 29, 2024
“‘Donde nosotros nos ubicamos la violencia es constante, tenemos niños muertos, desnutridos por falta de tierras, no tenemos tierra adecuada para sembrar nuestra producción’ y alimentarlos, relató a The Associated Press Rubiel Wazorna, autoridad en el resguardo indígena de Mistrató, un municipio enclavado en las montañas de Risaralda, al centro oeste del país”.
Gobierno alista cirugía a solicitudes de asilo: hay más de 30 mil procesos estancados
Redacción Política, El Espectador, 27 de noviembre de 2024
“La administración del presidente Gustavo Petro trabaja en una transformación del sistema y las condiciones para que los ciudadanos extranjeros accedan al estatus de refugiados en Colombia. Este diario conoció los documentos y las cifras con los que la Cancillería ajusta los detalles para emitir un decreto que atienda el creciente número de solicitudes que ha generado caos en sus oficinas; todo esto en medio de la agitada relación entre Bogotá y Caracas por cuenta del futuro político de ese país con Nicolás Maduro”.
Colombia to require visas for British citizens in response to UK visa restrictions
Manuel Rueda, Associated Press, November 26, 2024
“Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro said Tuesday that his country will impose visa requirements on British citizens, in retaliation for a decision made by the United Kingdom to remove Colombia from a list of countries whose nationals can visit Britain without a tourist visa.”
DRUG POLICY
Colombia-led operation seizes world record 225 tonnes of cocaine, and uncovers new Australia trafficking route
Luke Taylor, The Guardian, November 27, 2024
“The interception of 225 tonnes of cocaine marks a significant dent in the operations of Latin America’s cartels given that the UN estimates 2,700 tonnes are produced globally each year and Colombia’s record for annual seizures was the 671 tonnes confiscated in 2022.”
What an Internal Split Means for Colombia’s Second Marquetalia
Sara Garcia, Insight Crime, November 27, 2024
“A recent rift within the Second Marquetalia underscores the inherent fragility of alliances among Colombia’s illegal groups and highlights the significant challenges the government faces when negotiating with organizations of diverse and fragmented origins.”
* The Colombia News Brief is a selection of relevant news articles, all of which do not necessarily reflect the viewpoint of the Latin America Working Group.
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The post Colombia News Brief for December 10, 2024 appeared first on Latin America Working Group.
