Continued Violence in Colombia
With President Juan Manuel Santos’ presidency coming close to its first 100 days, violence continues in Colombia. On October 21st, the Interdisciplinary Group for Human Rights presented the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights with a 21-page document titled “Words and Deeds,” which highlighted the violence against human rights activists that has surrounded Santos’ first 75 days in office. The document details the murders of 22 civilians - five activists, seven indigenous leaders, a human rights defender, five trade unionists, two community educators and two members of the LGBT community. In response, the Colombian Ministry of Interior and Justice stated that government planned to recognize the allegations “immediately” and act accordingly. The presenters noted, however, that while there has been a change in style, the way the government deals with violations has not changed much. The report’s concerns were validated this past week as Sergeant Raul Muñoz Linares was arrested and charged with the murder and rape of three children in the Arauca department. Seven soldiers were also relieved from duty for their alleged involvement as investigations continue. According to EFE, the decapitated bodies of a 14-year-old girl and her two younger brothers (age 6 and 9) were found in a shallow grave near their home in Tame. General Alejandro Navas told Colombian media sources that Linares had confessed to the rape of the young girl and that the military would not tolerate such violations of human rights. As President Santos called for the “full weight of the law” to fall upon the perpetrators, officials have assured that the investigation to identify others responsible is ongoing. Adam Isacson notes, on his blog, that the Colombian government’s stark reaction “is how [the Colombian government] should act every time a serious abuse allegation emerges.” Paramilitaries have also suffered losses and on October 17th, Everto Higuita Usuga, a commander of the paramilitary-originated drug ring known as “Los Urabeños” was captured in Medellin. According to Colombian police sources, Usuga’s capture worked to weaken Colombian drug rings by “halting the production of at least 5 tons of cocaine per month… and neutralizing the territorial war between ‘Los Urabeños’ and ‘Los Rastrojos.’” Furthermore, on October 29th, Colombian news sources reported that “two FARC terrorists” were killed during an exchange with Colombian troops from the 20th infantry division in Mapiripán, Meta. Consequently, on the same day, Colombian military sources reported that Ciro Pereza, second in command of the FARC’s 44th Front, surrendered to Colombian forces along with seven other combatants. Military officials have stated that Pereza’s surrender is the biggest setback to an already weakened FARC since last month’s killing of Mono Jojoy. Setbacks have not deterred FARC, however, and on November 1st, Lieutenant Colonel Edgar Javier Garcia Nieto was killed in Puerto Asis by a mine planted FARC forces. Two other soldiers were also injured. This post was written by CIP intern Johannes Schmidt