A woman reacts during the broadcast of the handing over of weapons of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) at the municipality of Mesetas, in Bogota, capital of Colombia, on 27 June 2017. Jhon Paz/Xinhua News Agency/PA Images. All rights reserved.
In spite of the
advances in the implementation of the peace agreement with the FARC (Revolutionary
Armed Forces of Colombia), Colombia continues living in the shadows of war. Civil
society is finding itself in the midst of disputes between armed groups such as
criminal gangs, the ELN (the National Liberation Army) and dissidents from the
FARC, which has been demonstrated in the figures of the RUV (Single Register of
Victims). Throughout December 2017, around 56,000 people were affected by armed
conflict according to the RUV.
The tool, which
was created six years ago by the Victims’ Law, shows a fall in violent acts
since the FARC and the government began negotiations in Havana. However, upon
revising the figures more closely, it becomes clear that this improvement has
been felt less in certain regions such as Nariño and Chocó.
The RUV shows
that forced displacement was the issue that mostly affected Colombians
throughout 2017. This is followed by
threats, loss of goods or property at the hands of armed groups, and offences
against freedom and sexual identity. Here we identify some of the issues to be
worked on throughout 2018.
There are still
thousands of displaced people throughout the country
During the year
of 2017, the RUV recorded 54 thousand cases of forced displacement, which
represents 79% of all victims in the last year. The most affected regions are
Chocó (with 9684 cases), Nariño (with 7776 cases), Norte de Santander (5512)
and Antioquia (5904).
Even though more
than 92 thousand cases were reported in 2016 (a little under double the cases
reported in 2017), the figures regarding displacement are still worrying. The
United Nations Refugee Agency had already warned in July of last year that
despite the implementation of the peace agreement, Colombia is still the
country with the most internally displaced people in the world.
The most recent
occurrence relating to this issue was the displacement of more than 130 people
after the massacre at Magui Payán on the 27th of November 2017.
Shortly after in December, the UN demonstrated their concern over the potential
escalation in suffering on the back of attempts at ‘social control’ by the
guerrillas and armed groups at the margins of the law.
More than 12,000 people
have been victims of threats and intimidations
Among the
regions most affected by threats and intimidations are Antioquia (with more
than 2196 cases), Nariño (1977), Valle del Cauca (1424) and Chocó (847).
Leaders in
Colombia have been subject to constant threats. According to the report ‘¡Agúzate, que nos están matando!’ by
the NGO Somos Defensores, in July of 2017 more than 220 leaders were intimidated,
and 63 were murdered – many of whom received warnings before their deaths. One
case of particular importance was that of Bernardo Cuero, the 36th
leader killed according to publication ¡Pacifista!’s meter.
Cuero, who
carried out tasks as the leader of the working group for the victims of the
Atlantic coast and who was additionally a prosecutor for the AFRODES (National
Association of Afro-Descendants) was murdered on the 6th of June
2017 in Malambo. In the days following up to his death, the leader had
reportedly received a package from the AFRODES headquarters in Cali. Inside was
a small coffin with a paper cross and an inscription, presumably signed by the ACG
(Gaitanistas of Colombia).
Another case
that gained publicity throughout the year was that of José Jair Cortés, social
leader from Tumaco murdered last October. Following his murder, the vice
president Óscar Naranjo proclaimed that he was not the only leader in danger
after the massacre of Tumaco. According to Naranjo, 15 other representatives
from the board of the community council of Alto Mira had received threats.
In Colombia, sexual
freedom and integrity remain under threat
205 cases of
sexual violence in the context of armed conflict were reported by the RUV in
2017. However, the total amount of victims of sexual violence – related to the
ongoing conflict or not – was more than 17,000 according to the Institute of
Legal Medicine.
Even if the
Victims Unit indicates there was a fall by around 50% compared with 2016,
whether or not victims were caught up in armed conflict, sexual violence
continues to rise. Last September, Legal Medicine warned of an 8.7% increase in
comparison to the figures reported in 2016 (15,988).
The most recent
report by the Oxfam Women’s’ Committee shows that more than 800,000 people were
victims of sexual offences in the context of armed conflicts, however due to
the lack of reporting worldwide figures are likely to be much higher. The
information from this report coincides with the data provided by the ombudsman
office for this year which claimed that every day they attend to at least one
woman that has become a victim of sexual assault.
Moreover, Oxfam
has emphasised that the main sexual aggressors in Colombia currently pertain to
illegal armed groups.
Lands continue to be
snatched away
Whilst the
Office for the Restitution of Lands reassures that last year more than 110,000
hectares of land was returned to victims of the conflict, the figures from the
Victims Unit showed 554 cases of losses of goods or property during 2017.
Although a reduction has been registered since the year 2016 (1295 cases), the
problem remains dormant.
Nariño heads the
list of the regions most affected by land-grabs with 80 cases reported during
2017. The region with the second highest occurrence was Meta (63), followed by
Cauca (53) and Antioquia (48).
Delinquents and
armed groups have taken advantage of the post-conflict situation to carry out
their land-grabs. It was only in September of 2017 when the government managed
to take down a criminal gang dedicated to the theft of hectares of land that
were due to be returned to victims. Through corruption, the capturers became
creditors of more than 10 plots of land whose collective value exceeded 120
thousand million Colombian pesos.
The FARC demobilized,
but the terrorism is not stopping
In 2017, 312 people
were affected by attacks related to terrorism, among which was the case of the
explosive detonated in the bathroom of the Andino shopping centre last June. 9
people were killed and 3 people were injured during the attack, and the
authorities recognised the armed group Revolutionary Movement of the People
(MRP) as responsible for the attack. Regardless, the group denied having any
involvement.
The RUV
indicates that the total number of victims of terrorism in 2017 fell by almost
half of what it was in 2016. However, incidents such as the attacks on electric
infrastructure in Cauca in September and November of last year that put more
than 6000 people at risk demonstrate that Colombia is still not free from
terrorism.
Children are still being
taken prisoner by armed groups
The number of
children that have been victims of forced recruitment of armed groups has
decreased considerably since negotiations began, and according to the RUV there
were 38 cases reported, but the UN continues to voice its concern over the
phenomenon. In September 2017, the UN assured that great advances had taken
place but also the continued presence of other armed groups such as the ELN and
dissidents from the FARC continue to put the rights of minors in the country at
risk.