April 18, 2005

InfoBrief is a weekly news summary of events in the U.S. and Colombia produced and distributed by the U.S. Office on Colombia. Colombia This Week is reproduced with the kind permission of the ABColombia Group in London. Other sources include U.S. and Latin American newspapers, and reports from non-profit and grassroots groups. The content does not necessarily reflect the views of the U.S. Office on Colombia. If you would like to receive InfoBrief please contact jess_hunter@usofficeoncolombia.org indicating why you would be interested in this weekly news service. Previous editions of the InfoBrief can be found at www.usofficeoncolombia.org

Human Rights Watch Condemns FARC Attack Human Rights Watch condemned a gas cylinder attack by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) that killed a 10-year old boy and injured 20 civilians in addition to causing damage to homes in the predominantly indigenous community of Toribío in the Cauca province on Thursday. After a brief military offensive that controlled the area long enough for a short visit by Colombian President Alvaro Uribe on Friday, rebels again attacked the town with the homemade mortars and gun fire on Sunday, killing at least one police officer, according to authorities. Toribío’s mayor Arquimedes Vitronas, indicated that virtually all of the 3,000 community members have fled do to the attacks. "The mortar rounds have been hitting the police station, the hospital. Nowhere is safe," Vitronas told The Associated Press. Human Rights Watch stated that use of gas cylinder mortars, known for their inaccuracy, is a violation of international humanitarian law and cannot be tolerated. “The FARC must immediately cease these horrific attacks, which violate the most basic principles of the laws of war,” said Jose Miguel Vivanco, Americas director at Human Rights Watch. According to the human rights group, approximately 90 percent of the local population belongs to the Nasa indigenous group, which has received national and international awards for its peace and development initiatives. “The conflict has had a devastating effect on indigenous populations, which are frequently caught in the middle of fighting between armed groups that wish to control their territory,” said Vivanco. “Indiscriminate attacks like the bombings in Toribío not only kill civilians, but also cause immeasurable damage to the indigenous communities as a whole.”

U.S. Military Leader Receives Awards in Colombia Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman General Richard Myers told Colombians that the U.S. was committed to staying the course, despite a recent wave of guerrilla attacks which has raised questions about Colombia’s claims of a weakening rebel army. Myers was in Colombia to receive the Military Order of Merit and the Counternarcotics Award from Colombian military officials during a trip to South America last week. “I am humbled by this award,” Myers said. He said the award “reflects the relationship between the United States and Colombia, the importance we attach to this relationship.” Myers met with Colombian military and civilian leaders to discuss on-going military cooperation. “We’re winning,” Myers said during a press conference in Bogotá. “We’ve got to keep the pressure on until the fight is finally won.” Myers said Plan Colombia is making progress, and he expects to see continued high levels of assistance for Colombia.

Colombia Ratifies Convention Against Forced Disappearance On Wednesday Colombia joined 10 other nations in the hemisphere who have ratified the Inter-American Convention against the Forced Disappearance of Persons. Colombia Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister Camilo Reyes said his country now has a “greater commitment to fighting this scourge, and will do so with a greater sense of purpose.” Forced disappearance has long been a serious human rights problem in Colombia. In 2003, a United Nations agency specializing in forced disappearance reported that of the 1,114 forced disappearances in Colombia since 1981, 850 remain unresolved. In its 2004 human rights report, the State Department found 65 cases of forced disappearance during the first six months of last year. Colombia's security forces were reported to have directly participated in 17 of these cases. By ratifying the convention, OAS Acting Secretary-General Luigi Einaudi said Colombia is “committing to reporting as soon as possible on the whereabouts of persons presumed to have been forced into disappearance.”

Deadly Accident Involving U.S. Soldier in Colombia Renews Calls for Revision of Immunity Colombia’s Attorney General’s Office on Thursday announced an investigation into a hit-and-run accident allegedly involving a U.S. soldier which left two Colombian soldiers dead. The soldier involved in the crash has claimed his innocence and left Colombia days after the accident. Colombian prosecutors suspect US Army Sergeant Jonathan Marshall crashed into two Colombian soldiers riding on a motorcycle near Villavicencio, the capital of Meta province. The incident, which occurred in August 2004, was made public only two weeks after five U.S. soldiers were detained when authorities found 35 pounds of cocaine onboard a U.S. military aircraft bound from Colombia. The incidents have led Colombian legislators to call for the revision of a decades old treaty that prohibits U.S. military personnel from being tried for crimes committed in Colombia. "If problems are found that merit a change, I am sure that officials at the Colombian Foreign Ministry and U.S. State Department officials would sit down for that," said Colombian Defense Minister Jorge Alberto Uribe Echavarria.

AUC Member Pleads Guilty in U.S. Courts in Drugs for Arms Plot A seventh person has pled guilty in connection with a plot to trade drugs for weapons in conjunction with an investigation in the Houston area. According to press reports, Fanny "Rachel" Cecilia Barrera de Amaris, 52, of Medellin, pleaded guilty to charges of conspiracy to provide material support and resources for the United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia, or AUC. Barrera has been identified as a weapons inspector for the right wing paramilitary group, listed as a terrorist organization by the State Department. She could face up to 15 years in prison and fines of $250,000. According to court documents and information from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Barrera allegedly met an undercover FBI agent in the Virgin Islands to discuss trading $25 million and approximately 10 pounds of cocaine for arms to support the group’s war against leftist rebels in the Andean nation. The plot was uncovered by the FBI and the DEA in a sting operation known as Operation White Terror.

Upcoming Events and Seminars in the U.S.

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Colombia This Week

There will be no Colombia This Week this week due to staff travel. We apologize for the inconvenience.