Refugees International: Articles: President Bush Urged to Raise Colombian Displacement Crisis with President Uribe

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President Bush Urged to Raise Colombian Displacement Crisis with President Uribe

Colombia: Violence in Saiza
Photo Credit: ASCODESA
06/13/2006

Refugees International is urging President Bush to address the serious displacement crisis inside Colombia when he meets with Colombian President Alvaro Uribe at the White House on Wednesday, June 14. In the following letter, Refugees International asks President Bush to push for more effective action by the Colombian government to protect the millions of people who have been displaced inside Colombia. As noted in the letter, eight massive displacements have occurred in the past five months in just one southern province and Refugees International is calling for a formal investigation into these events.

Refugees International staff members are currently in Colombia documenting the government's shortfalls in protecting innocent people forced to flee from their homes.

June 12, 2006

President George W. Bush
The White House
Washington, DC

Dear Mr. President:

Refugees International would like to take the opportunity of President Alvaro Uribe's upcoming visit to the United States to request that you respectfully raise with him our serious concerns about the human rights situation for displaced people in Colombia. A Refugees International team of advocates is currently in Colombia and is documenting first hand the government's shortfalls in protecting innocent people forced to flee from their homes. The vast majority of the displaced has no political allegiance but is caught between the guerrilla forces and paramilitaries, some of which continue to operate with support of the national army.

The situation in the southern province of Narino is particularly worrisome. According to the authorities, eight massive displacements have occurred in the past five months caused by both military operations and violence between armed groups. Fighting between the guerrillas and the paramilitaries for control of the territory continues despite the reported completion of the demobilization process of the paramilitary groups. Refugees International collected testimonies and saw film footage proving that paramilitary groups are still operating in the region, sometimes with the support of the Colombian national army.

On May 18th, more than 3,500 persons sought refuge in the city of Pasto, adding to the 24,000 displaced already living there. These people came from the region of Policarpa and left their homes on May 13th to participate in a peaceful demonstration against the policies of the current Colombian administration. According to testimonies gathered by Refugees International, the demonstrators were attending the protest under duress, as they had been threatened by the guerrillas should they refuse to join the march. The public forces intervened violently to disperse the participants, and many civilians were killed or wounded during that process. Despite public communications from the State's Ombudsman's office denouncing the brutality of the army's intervention, the Colombian government has not yet launched an investigation to determine facts and hold its agents accountable for their misconduct.

As of today, the Colombian government has refused to acknowledge that these communities have been forcefully displaced, calling the cause of displacement a "political stance taken against the government." On the contrary, these people are Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) according to Colombian and international law, as they were displaced by violence or the threat of violence by armed groups acting outside the law.

Faced with a lack of recognition and assistance by the State, most of the displaced returned home on the May 26th, in a process highly criticized by the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the human rights community, who feared the security situation did not enable a safe and dignified return. Reports received since from areas of return are alarming and point to targeted acts of violence perpetrated against civilians by both the guerrillas and the paramilitaries in retaliation of what they perceived as a lack of loyalty. Only about 30 persons remaining in Pasto have registered with the State and are now waiting to know whether they will be recognized as displaced. There are allegedly hundreds more remaining in the city with friends or relatives who have not been accounted for.

These cases point out the continued difficulties being experienced by displaced people in Colombia, difficulties that President Uribe's government could be doing more to prevent. Specifically, Refugees International recommends that in your discussions with President Uribe you urge him to:

Ensure the effective demobilization of the paramilitary groups and the dismantling of their structures;
Launch a formal investigation into the recent events that took place in Narino, and hold accountable those who committed crimes against civilians. Alleged links between the Colombian army and the paramilitary groups should also be investigated.
Guarantee that assistance is provided to displaced communities on the basis of humanitarian need and not made conditional to political or partisan considerations.

We thank you in advance for relaying our concerns.

Sincerely yours,
Kenneth H. Bacon
President

CC: Ambassador William B. Wood, U.S. Embassy in Colombia
Mr. Thomas Shannon, Assistant Secretary for Western Hemisphere
Ambassador Andres Pastrana, Embassy of Colombia, USA