Notes from the field: Union peasants killed & disappeared
Report by CAN 2006 Delegation member Katrina Plotz
Colombia is the third-largest recipient of U.S. aid. Since 2000, Colombia has received $4.7 billion from the military aid package, “Plan Colombia.” Originally proposed under the “War on Drugs,” the Bush administration increased aid to Colombia under the rhetoric of the “War on Terror.” The groups that constitute the armed resistance in Colombia’s fifty-year civil war are on the State Department’s list of terrorist organizations. This allows the Colombian military to violently intimidate anyone who questions the social, economic, and political policies of the Colombian government.
President Alvaro Uribe is an ally of the Bush administration because of his support for free trade, which benefits multi-national corporations at the expense of the Colombian poor. Anyone working for social justice in the country is labeled part of the armed resistance. Therefore, union organizers, human rights workers, and student activists are targets of a Colombian government with the worst human rights record in the Western Hemisphere.
When we arrived in Bogotá, we were greeted by national executives of FENSUAGRO. Their union fights for land reform, defends campesinos, protests unjust exploits of large landowners, and resists U.S. intervention in Colombia. For this work, their union has had numerous members abducted, detained, and murdered by right-wing paramilitaries. Over 500 members of FENSUAGRO have been murdered since 1978, and in May 2006, 25 leaders were arrested, and several received death threats. Despite constant danger, FENSUAGRO continues to increase its membership.
On May 15th, FENSUAGRO mobilized 150,000 campesinos, indigenous people, Afro-Colombians, and students to protest unjust socio-economic conditions. They occupied the Pan-American Highway for several days and were confronted by paramilitary forces. Some of the activists “disappeared” at checkpoints. Two days later, they were attacked and fought back with rocks. At least 60 people were wounded and several were killed.
On May 18th, leaders met with authorities to negotiate. Meanwhile, civilians were beaten and attacked with a poisonous gas. Several were detained, others disappeared, and some were killed. Because human rights workers have not completed their investigation, the number of dead is still unknown.
We met many campesinos who mobilized, as well as leaders who organized subsequent negotiations with the government. We observed a meeting between campesinos and government officials about the lack of roads in rural communities. Without quality roads, campesinos transport crops on foot or by mule. As a result, food often spoils before reaching the market.
Campesinos presented specific proposals for road improvement which were rejected. A national government representative blamed them for not addressing the local authorities, while local officials claimed they couldn’t approve projects without resources from the national government.
Several campesinos spoke out boldly. “We know the state has money, but instead of investing in campesinos, you use your money to kill us.” Later a woman directly challenged government officials. “You’re not here because you want to be here. You’re here because the people mobilized, and we’ll do it again.” The meeting continued without any concrete decisions.
That evening, we met with campesino leaders. They spoke of desperate farmers with no choice but to grow coca, a leaf used in cocaine. Due to unequal land distribution, lack of infrastructure, and low free-trade prices, most campesinos cannot provide for their families. The cultivation of coca is the only viable alternative: it grows easily in harsh conditions, its buyers come straight to their farms, and it yields a good price. Instead of reducing demand for cocaine in the U.S., our government spends billions on helicopters and chemicals to fumigate coca in Colombia. This has a detrimental impact on the health of people and the environment. “They fumigate everything,” explained one campesino. “It’s indiscriminate. They kill food crops along with coca. They poison rivers and damage the ecosystem.” Campesinos repeatedly emphasized, “We don’t want to grow illicit crops. We know the damage they cause, but this is a result of the socio-economic conditions we live in.” They are currently working on a crop substitution proposal in which they would stop growing coca if the government agrees to social investment, enabling campesinos to re-enter the legal economy.
The Bush administration has requested $580 million for the brutal Colombian government for 2006. The notorious School of the Americas in Ft. Benning, Georgia continues to train more soldiers from Colombia than from any other country. The U.S. government is clearly at war with the Colombian people. Social justice activists have the responsibility to stand in solidarity with Colombians and demand an end to U.S. intervention in their country.
