A Multiple and Pluralistic Reading of History Commission on History Of

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

A Multiple and Pluralistic Reading of History Commission on History Of A multiple and pluralistic reading of history Commission on History of the conflict and their victims Eduardo Pizarro Leongomez Trials1 1 in the appointments of footer along the rapporteurship we will limit ourselves to mentioning the name of the author of the aforementioned essay and the page that shows the comment or the phrase we have used. 1. Gustavo Duncan, Exclusion, insurgency and crime 2. Jairo Estrada, capitalist accumulation, class domination and subversion. Elements for a historical interpretation of the social and armed conflict 3. Dario Fajardo, Study on the origins of the social conflict armed, reasons for its persistence and its most profound effects in Colombian society 4. Javier Giraldo, contributions on the origin of the armed conflict in Colombia, its persistence and its impacts 5. Jorge Giraldo, politics and war without compassion 6. Francisco Gutiérrez, does a simple story? 7. Alfredo Molano, fragments of the history of armed conflict (1920-2010) 8. Daniel Pecaut, a armed conflict at the service of the social status quo and po litical 9. Vicente Torrijos, Cartography of the conflict: interpretive guidelines on the evolution of the Colombian conflict irregular 10. Renan Vega, interference of the United States, insurgency and terrorism of State 11. Mary Emma Wills, The three knots of the Colombian war 12. Sergio de Zubiria, "cultural and political dimensions in the Colombian confl ict" Summary Introduction I. The origins and the multiple causes of internal armed conflict 1. Temporary Origin (A) long time, average time (b) continuities and ruptures (c) The modern armed conflict (d) The National Front or the appeasement of the blood feuds (e) of the appeasement to the widespread violence 2. Specification 3 . Actors in the conflict 4. Factors, actors, joints, and dynamics of the conflict II. Major factors and conditions that have facilitated or contributed to the per sistence of conflict 1. The drug trafficking 2. Patterns of violence against civilians: the role of the kidnapping and extort ion 3. Institutional Precariousness 4. The private provision of coercion/security 5. Weapons and ballot box 6. Political System ingratiating-parochial 7. Inequity, property rights and agricultural issue 8. The vicious circle of violence III. The effects and impacts of the most notorious conflict on population 1. Definition of victim 2. Typology of victimization, number of victims and agents responsible 3. The impacts of violence in the economy, equity, politics and culture Conclusions Introduction In May of 1958, the Military Junta Government convened the National Commission investigating the causes and current situations of violence in the National Terr itory in order to carry out a diagnosis of the causes of the violence and to propose measures to overcome it through plans of pacification, social assistance and rehabilitation. The researcher , as it was known in his time, led by the former minister and liberal writer, Otto Morales Benitez, had a very short life, from May 1958 to January 1959, that is to say, mere nine months, and its results were not sati sfactory . According to the analysis provided by the professor Jefferson Jaramillo, a very knowledgeable of the subject, since then it has been at least twelve similar commissions2 designed as tools to help overcome the chronic violence the country has endured , including the National Commission on Violence3 and the National Center for Mem ory Historica4. 2 Jefferson Jaramillo, past and present of the violence in Colombia. Study on th e commissions of inquiry (1958-2011), Bogota, Editorial Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, 2014, p. 34 ET seq. 3 Commission of Studies on Violence, Colombia: violence and democracy, Bogotá, Nat ional University of Colombia, 1987. 4 National Center of Historical Memory, Enough is Enough! Colombia: memory of wa r and dignity, Bogotá, National Printing Press, 2013. 5 The CHCV is not and should not be confused with a Truth Commission. The CHCV w as not itself a channel of expression of the victims. However, these tests, as says the agreemen t signed between the government and the FARC, you must serve the future Commission of Truth as a useful input an d indispensable . The vast majority of Colombians expected, however, that we are dealing with now will be the last commission of these characteristics, before the closure of the symbolic already long armed conflict, through a Truth Commission, which we can encourage in some appropriate time in the futuro5. The Commission on History of the conflict and their victims (CHCV), installed in Havana on 21 August 2014, was created by the peace table in the framework of the general agreement fo r the completion of the conflict and the construction of a stable and lasting peace, signed by the national government and the FARC on 26 August 2012. This Commission has, however , a special feature when compared with those of the past: its members were not app ointed by the national government, but, through an agreement between the two parties involved in the peace negotiations in Cuba6, with the objective to contribute to the understanding of the complexity of the historical context of the internal conflict7 and for providing inputs for the delegations in the discussion of different points of general agreement that are pending , in particular the point 5 of the agenda, the issue of the victims. 6 Jefferson Jaramillo, The Historical Commission of Havana: background and challe nges, in Public Reason http://www.razonpublica.com/index.php/conflicto-drogas-y-paz-temas-30.html.. 7 Given the enormous diversity of terms used by the various essayists to charact erize the armed confrontation, which the country has suffered since the inception of the N ational Front (war, armed conflict social, asymmetric warfare, among others), along the rapporteursh ip we are going to use the more generic notion of internal armed conflict , that is to say, which is used in the documents themselve s to the peace table in Havana . The Commission was composed of twelve experts, each of which should develop with total autonomy and intellectual rigor, a report in relation to three key po ints defined by the Bureau of Peace: (a) The origins and the multiple causes of the c onflict; (b) major factors and conditions that have facilitated or contributed to the persist ence of the conflict and (c) the effects and impacts more notorious of the conflict on the population . On the basis of these reports from the twelve experts, the two rapporteurs were required to prepare a synthesis report, reflecting with greater objectivity consensus-building, and th e disagreements and the plurality of views of the experts. Finally, as we explained in a joint introduction, we have decided to give two rapporteurs to deepen the spirit plural which has gu ided the work of the CHCV. According to the communiqué No. 40 Of the peace table in which it was announced th e creation of CHCV, the final report (which includes the twelve tests and two rapp orteurships), must be a vital input for the understanding of the complexity of the conflict and the responsibilities of those who have participated in or had an effect on the s ame, and to determine the truth. But, in any case, the CHCV had the power to determine individual responsibilities nor of prosecuting those responsible. The text of Daniel Pecaut begins by stating that even when it comes to events that are considered historical ruptures on the scale of the great revolut ions or the great wars, that oblige us to consider without a shadow of doubt that the re is a before and after a , the debate on the origins or on the multiplicity of causes never closes8. This same conviction mood to the peace table from Havana to ask twelve scholars an individual trial, not looking for a unique vision - which is impossible, at least in the field of history and the social sciences-, but a multiplicity of viewpoints. The outcome of this exercise demonstrated the existence of consensus , but , equally, of dissension on the three themes chosen: origin, factors of persistence and victims and the impact of the conflict. These dissents can spark a debate much more productive, to delve into a democratic culture founded in the recognition of the other and in the right to dissent and difference, that a so-c alled unanimous narrative. 8 Daniel Pecaut, p. 1. We could add an additional fact that it is virtually impo ssible to have a single story: the absence of sufficient historical perspective, therefore, to a large extent we are referring to a histo ry of the present , given that there is still the political violence in the country. If you are sti ll vivid discussions on the significance, for example, of the wars of independence, how to think that there might be consensus on total historical processes in course? 9 For the sake of integrating under a common name the many terms used in the tes ts to refer to the factors (Molano, p. 1), knots (Wills, p. 1), trigger factor (Fajardo, p. 3), multiplicity of causes (Zubiria, p. 4) Or others who have contributed to the viole nce that has hit the country, The Rapporteurship has as main objective to carry out a map and more balanced an d rigorous as possible of the thesis and the arguments contained in the twelve tests; and, through a br eakdown of the three thematic topics, highlight both consensus and disagreements multiagency of these readings. We are far short of a impossible and undesirable o fficial history or an equally impossible and undesirable single truth. On the contrary, these tests should serve to the peace table and Colombians in general open a wide-ranging di scussion about what happened to us, why we are step and as overcome it.
Recommended publications
  • Marisol Cano Busquets
    Violencia contra los periodistas Configuración del fenómeno, metodologías y mecanismos de intervención de organizaciones internacionales de defensa de la libertad de expresión Marisol Cano Busquets TESIS DOCTORAL UPF / 2016 DIRECTORA DE LA TESIS Dra. Núria Almiron Roig DEPARTAMENTO DE COMUNICACIÓN A Juan Pablo Ferro Casas, con quien estamos cosidos a una misma estrella. A Alfonso Cano Isaza y María Antonieta Busquets Nel-lo, un árbol bien plantado y suelto frente al cielo. Agradecimientos A la doctora Núria Almiron, directora de esta tesis doctoral, por su acom- pañamiento con el consejo apropiado en el momento justo, la orientación oportuna y la claridad para despejar los caminos y encontrar los enfoques y las perspectivas. Además, por su manera de ver la vida, su acogida sin- cera y afectuosa y su apoyo en los momentos difíciles. A Carlos Eduardo Cortés, amigo entrañable y compañero de aventuras intelectuales en el campo de la comunicación desde nuestros primeros años en las aulas universitarias. Sus aportes en la lectura de borradores y en la interlocución inteligente sobre mis propuestas de enfoque para este trabajo siempre contribuyeron a darle consistencia. A Camilo Tamayo, interlocutor valioso, por la riqueza de los diálogos que sostuvimos, ya que fueron pautas para dar solidez al diseño y la estrategia de análisis de la información. A Frank La Rue, exrelator de libertad de expresión de Naciones Unidas, y a Catalina Botero, exrelatora de libertad de expresión de la Organización de Estados Americanos, por las largas y fructíferas conversaciones que tuvimos sobre la situación de los periodistas en el mundo. A los integrantes de las organizaciones de libertad de expresión estudia- das en este trabajo, por haber aceptado compartir conmigo su experien- cia y sus conocimientos en las entrevistas realizadas.
    [Show full text]
  • “Then Catastrophe Strikes:” Reading Disaster in Paul Auster's Novels and Autobiographies « Then Catastrophe Strikes
    Université Paris-Est Northwestern University École doctorale CS – Cultures et Sociétés Weinberg College of Arts & Sciences Laboratoire d’accueil : IMAGER Institut des Comparative Literary Studies Mondes Anglophone, Germanique et Roman, EA 3958 “T HEN CATASTROPHE STRIKES :” READING DISASTER IN PAUL AUSTER ’S NOVELS AND AUTOBIOGRAPHIES « THEN CATASTROPHE STRIKES » : LIRE LE DÉSASTRE DANS L’ŒUVRE ROMANESQUE ET AUTOBIOGRAPHIQUE DE PAUL AUSTER Thèse en cotutelle présentée en vue de l’obtention du grade de Docteur de l’Université de Paris- Est, et de Doctor of Philosophy in Comparative Literature de Northwestern University, par Priyanka DESHMUKH Sous la direction de Mme le Professeur Isabelle ALFANDARY et de M. le Professeur Samuel WEBER Jury Mme Isabelle ALFANDARY , Professeur à l’Université Paris-3 Sorbonne Nouvelle (Directrice de thèse) Mme Sylvie BAUER , Professeur à l’Université Rennes-2 (Rapporteur) Mme Christine FROULA , Professeur à Northwestern University (Examinatrice) Mme Michal GINSBURG , Professeur à Northwestern University (Examinatrice) M. Jean-Paul ROCCHI , Professeur à l’Université Paris-Est (Examinateur) Mme Sophie VALLAS , Professeur à l’Université d’Aix-Marseille (Rapporteur) M. Samuel WEBER , Professeur à Northwestern University (Co-directeur de thèse) In memory of Matt Acknowledgements I wish I had a more gracious thank-you for: Mme Isabelle Alfandary , who, over the years has allowed me to experience untold academic privileges; whose constant and consistently nurturing presence, intellectual rigor, patience, enthusiasm and invaluable advice are the sine qua non of my growth and, as a consequence, of this work. M. Samuel Weber , whose intellectual generosity, patience and understanding are unparalleled, whose Paris Program in Critical Theory was critical in more ways than one, and without whose participation, the co-tutelle would have been impossible.
    [Show full text]
  • The Farc-Ep and Revolutionary Social Change
    Emancipatory Politics: A Critique Open Anthropology Cooperative Press, 2015 edited by Stephan Feuchtwang and Alpa Shah ISBN-13:978-1518885501 / ISBN-10:1518885500 Part 2 Armed movements in Latin America and the Philippines Chapter 4 The FARC-EP and Consequential Marxism in Colombia James J. Brittain Abstract The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia-People’s Army (FARC-EP) has maintained its base among small-holders including coca farmers and expanded its struggle through a local interpretation of Marxism and Leninism. This chapter reviews current accounts of its history and contemporary presence. The author then provides his own analysis of their strategy, namely that they have successfully pursued a gradual expansion of a separate power base and economy from that of the state and its capitalist economy, a situation that Lenin described as ‘dual power’, or, as Gramsci elaborated, a challenge to the hegemony of the ruling bloc. His visits and interviews and two recent documentary films in the FARC-EP areas show that the economy under FARC leadership, while taxing and controlling the processing and selling of coca, is still one of private small-holders. Many farmers grow coca as their main crop but all to some extent diversify into subsistence crops. This is a successful preparation for eventual state power of a completely different kind under which the economy will be socialised. For a half century the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia-People’s Army (Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias Colombianas-Ejército del Pueblo, FARC-EP) have played a key role in organising, sustaining, and leading revolutionary activity within the Latin American country of Colombia.
    [Show full text]
  • Ending Colombia's FARC Conflict: Dealing the Right Card
    ENDING COLOMBIA’S FARC CONFLICT: DEALING THE RIGHT CARD Latin America Report N°30 – 26 March 2009 TABLE OF CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY............................................................................................................. i I. INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................. 1 II. FARC STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES................................................................... 2 A. ADAPTIVE CAPACITY ...................................................................................................................4 B. AN ORGANISATION UNDER STRESS ..............................................................................................5 1. Strategy and tactics ......................................................................................................................5 2. Combatant strength and firepower...............................................................................................7 3. Politics, recruitment, indoctrination.............................................................................................8 4. Withdrawal and survival ..............................................................................................................9 5. Urban warfare ............................................................................................................................11 6. War economy .............................................................................................................................12
    [Show full text]
  • Ending Colombia's FARC Conflict
    ENDING COLOMBIA’S FARC CONFLICT: DEALING THE RIGHT CARD Latin America Report N°30 – 26 March 2009 TABLE OF CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY............................................................................................................. i I. INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................. 1 II. FARC STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES................................................................... 2 A. ADAPTIVE CAPACITY ...................................................................................................................4 B. AN ORGANISATION UNDER STRESS ..............................................................................................5 1. Strategy and tactics ......................................................................................................................5 2. Combatant strength and firepower...............................................................................................7 3. Politics, recruitment, indoctrination.............................................................................................8 4. Withdrawal and survival ..............................................................................................................9 5. Urban warfare ............................................................................................................................11 6. War economy .............................................................................................................................12
    [Show full text]
  • Hurricanes, Earthquakes, Tornadoes, Oh My! 6 Grade
    Hurricanes, Earthquakes, Tornadoes, Oh My! 6th Grade “Hurricanes, Earthquakes, Tornadoes, Oh My!” is a performance task and accompanying unit of lessons related to the theme of natural disasters. Teachers will deliver lessons that are aligned to the CCSS sixth grade standards. The lessons include standards such as addressing main idea/supporting details, style and tone, research skills, and expository writing, all leading up to the final product of an independently researched expository essay. This performance task will prepare students for what they will experience when taking the Smarter Balanced Assessment or other similar statewide assessments aligned to Common Core Standards Written By: Kelly Bowden, J. Grace Parfitt, and Alison Price 1 Delaware Department of Education, Reading/Writing Project 2016 Lesson plan format adapted from Learning-Focused Strategies. Thompson, M., Thompson, J. (2008) Table of Contents Section Page # 1. Scope and Sequence 3 2. Planning Chart 1 8 3. Planning Chart 2 12 4. Performance Task 20 5. DOE Informational Writing Rubric (Attachment I) 24 6. Lesson Plan #1 Mammoth Shakes 26 7. Mammoth Shakes Text Complexity 30 8. Lesson Plan #2 A Night to Remember 31 9. A Night to Remember Text Complexity 36 10. Lesson Plan #3 Research 37 9. Lesson Plan #4 Expository Writing 40 10. Attachment A 44 11. Attachment B 46 12. Attachment C 48 13. Attachment D 49 14. Attachment E 51 15. Attachment F 53 16. Attachment G 54 17. Attachment H 56 18. Attachment J 57 19. Attachment K 58 20. Attachment L 61 21. Attachment M 62 2 Delaware Department of Education, Reading/Writing Project 2016 Lesson plan format adapted from Learning-Focused Strategies.
    [Show full text]
  • SEC News Digest, 06-09-1977
    ,~~C news digest (SEC Docket, Vol. 16, No.5 - June 21) June 9, 1977 COMMISSION ANNOUNCEMENTS CONDUCT REGULATIONS CONCERNING PAST AND PRESENT MEMBERS AND EMPLOYEES OF COMMISSION AMENDED The Commission announced the adoption, effective upon publication in the Federal Register, of amendments of its Regulation Concerning Conduct of Members and Employees and Former Members and Employees of the Commission, 17 CFR Part 200, Subpart M. These amendments are designed to preclude potential conflict of interest situations by pre- scribing the conditions under which Commission members and employees may accept reim- bursement for travel or subsistence expenses from nongovernmental sources and by establishing limitations on the acceptance of honoraria or similar fees and payments. The Commission will reevaluate the amendments after approximately six months in light of its experience with the new requirements. Pub11c comments will be considered during the reevaluation. Comments concerning these amendments should be submitted in tripli- cate to George A. Fitzsimmons, Secretary, Securities and Exchange Commission, Washing- ton, D.C. 20549. All such communications should refer to File No. S7-704 and will be available for public inspection in Room 6101, 1100 L Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. (ReI. 33-5832) INTERNATIONAL RESEARCH & MANAGEMENT CORP., RICHARD D • BRAVERMAN BARRED Administrative Law Judge Irving Sommer has filed an initial decision revoking the registration of International Research & Management Corp. (IRM) as an investment adviser under Section 203(e) of the Investment Advisers Act and barring Richard D. Braverman from association with an investment adviser under Section 203(f) of the Advisers Act. The sanctions imposed in the public interest were based, inter alia, upon findings that IRM and Richard D.
    [Show full text]
  • Examining Principles of Disaster Reporting: Tot
    EXAMINING PRINCIPLES OF DISASTER REPORTING: TOT A TRAINING COURSE FOR ENTRY LEVEL JOURNALISTS Sub-deliverable of Deliverable 14 10th September, 2014 SEEDS Technical Services-Knowledge Links 1 TABLE OF CONTENTS BACKGROUND 4 NOTE FOR MASTER RESOURCE PERSONS – INTRODUCTION 8 PART 1 – TRAINING TECHNIQUES 9 NOTE FOR MASTER RESOURCE PERSONS – Training techniques 10 RESOURCE PERSON HANDOUT – Training techniques 11 PART 2 – LEARNING UNITS 13 NOTE FOR MASTER RESOURCE PERSONS – Running the course 14 RESOURCE PERSON NOTE – Running the course 16 QUIZ 1: PRE-TEST AND ANSWERS 19 LEARNING UNIT 1: UNDERSTANDING DISASTERS 20 RESOURCE PERSON NOTE – Understanding disasters 21 PARTICIPANT HANDOUT – Simulation 23 PARTICIPANT HANDOUT – Background material 24 QUIZ 2 37 LEARNING UNIT 2: ACCURACY 38 RESOURCE PERSON NOTE - Accuracy 39 PARTICIPANT HANDOUT – Simulation 42 PARTICIPANT HANDOUT - SURAKSHIT PRADESH: STATE PROFILE 43 PARTICIPANT HANDOUT – Accuracy 46 QUIZ 3 48 LEARNING UNIT 3: SAFETY 49 RESOURCE PERSON NOTE - Safety 50 PARTICIPANT HANDOUT - Simulation 53 PARTICIPANT HANDOUT – Safety 54 QUIZ 4 55 LEARNING UNIT 4: BALANCE 56 RESOURCE PERSON NOTE - Balance 57 PARTICIPANT HANDOUT – Simulation 62 PARTICIPANT HANDOUT - Balance 64 QUIZ 5 66 LEARNING UNIT 5: DIGNITY 67 RESOURCE PERSON NOTE – Dignity 68 PARTICIPANT HANDOUT – Simulation 70 PARTICIPANT HANDOUT - Dignity 71 QUIZ 6 72 LEARNING UNIT 6: CONSISTENCY AND COLLABORATION 73 RESOURCE PERSON NOTE – Consistency and collaboration 74 SEEDS Technical Services-Knowledge Links 2 PARTICIPANT HANDOUT - Simulation
    [Show full text]
  • Taking in the Colors of Autumn DU Law Program Clinic to Put on Help Clear Probation Records
    November 3, 2016 Volume 96 Number 12 THE DUQUESNE DUKE www.duqsm.com PROUDLY SERVING OUR CAMPUS SINCE 1925 Duquesne Taking in the colors of autumn DU law program clinic to put on help clear probation records Zachary Landau Carolyn Conte staff writer staff writer On Oct. 11, students in Duquesne’s Duquesne’s Juvenile Defender Physician Assistant Studies Pro- Clinic won a $100,000 grant to help gram learned that the school’s current or potential public housing standing with the Accreditation Re- residents with juvenile records to at- view Commission on Education for tain or keep their homes. the Physician Assistant (ARC-PA) The Department of Housing and might be in trouble. Urban Development and the U.S. In a meeting with students of Department of Justice awarded the Duquesne’s Physician Assistant money in September to Duquesne program, Department Chair and law professor Tiffany Sizemore- Professor Bridget Calhoun and Thompson’s Juvenile Defender Clin- Rangos School of Health Sciences ic. Ten law students from the clinic Interim Dean Paula Turocy ex- will visit Pittsburgh public housing plained that the ARC-PA has put sites in November to interview and the department on accreditation give legal advice to residents. probation for two years. To expunge — or remove — resi- Probation, as explained on the dents’ juvenile records, the clinic will ARC-PA’s website, is a temporary go through a multistep process with status for programs that either fail potential clients. First, the clinic must to meet the board’s standards or “the establish that the person qualifies for capability of the program to provide Jordan Miller/Staff Photographer the services and is “actually eligible to have their juvenile record expunged,” see PROBATION — page 2 A tree on Forbes Avenue sees its leaves begin to change colors.
    [Show full text]
  • BUSINESS Ntonev!
    ~ f ■ J ■ 1 ■ t- 20 — MANCHESTER HERALD. Mon.. April 26. 1982 B USINESS Keeney Street School Town may seek accord Bolton condo plans 25th birt/iday for medics, ambulanc'e foes gear up ■In brief---------- VA wants interest too . page 13 . page 16 ... page 3 Joins company Counseling Affiliates of Greater Hartford, P.C., Vets due shock over debts has announced that Angela Phelan, M.S., More rain, Manchester, Conn. has joined the If you’re among the nation’s 30 million military ser­ The VA also has been authorized to work with private organization to vice veterans, you also may be among the 1 million soon collection agencies to dun its debtors. ( “ Compassion cooler Vlfednesday Tuesday,'April 27, 1982 provide career and care” from a private collection agency?) to get a big kick in your wallet from the Veterans Ad­ Single .copy 25it counseling and ministration. ’This means YOU if, for one reason or Your Are you, a veteran aware of the debts you owe? If you — See page 2 testing services to another, you have received excess benefits payments are not, you’re in for a shock when you receive a letter, resid en ts in the from the U.S. government and have never returned the Money's soon stating the totals. Glastonbury- money. You, the veteran, will then be advised either to repay Manchester area. By far the largest number involved are veterans who Worth the amount within 30 days after receipt of the letter or Ms. Phelan has to make other arrangements for repayment before’ have studied under the GI Bill and received more tuition Sylvia Porter many years of money than you were entitled to; or yeterans who court action is taken.
    [Show full text]
  • The Hope for Peace in Colombia Pedro Valenzuela
    armed conflict and peace processes 47 II. Out of the darkness? The hope for peace in Colombia pedro valenzuela On 24 November 2016, after more than five decades of armed conflict, several failed peace processes and four years of negotiations, the Colombian Gov- ernment and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia–People’s Army (Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia-Ejército del Pueblo, FARC– EP) signed the Final Agreement to End the Armed Conflict and Build a Stable and Lasting Peace (the Accord).1 The Accord ended a conflict that has cost the lives of around 220 000 people, led to the disappearance of 60 000 more, forcibly recruited 6000 minors and left 27 000 victims of kidnapping as well as more than 6 million internally displaced persons (IDPs) and refugees.2 This section discusses the circumstances that made the Accord possible, the development of the process and the challenges that lie ahead. Factors leading to negotiations The origins of FARC can be traced to the peasant self-defence units created by the Communist Party during the inter-party conflicts of the 1940s and 1950s, known to Colombians simply as ‘The Violence’. After its formal cre- ation in 1966 and throughout the 1970s, when the armed conflict was fairly marginal, FARC was closely allied with the Communist Party of Colombia. In the 1980s, however, it distanced itself from the Communist Party and promoted clandestine political structures, while attempting to expand into every province of the country, gain power at the local level, bring the war closer to the
    [Show full text]
  • “YOU'll LEARN NOT to CRY” Child Combatants in Colombia
    “YOU’LL LEARN NOT TO CRY” Child Combatants in Colombia HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH New York • Washington • London • Brussels Copyright © September 2003 by Human Rights Watch All rights reserved Printed in the United States of America ISBN 1564322882 Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 2003109212 Addresses for Human Rights Watch 350 Fifth Avenue, 34th Floor, New York, NY 10118-3299 Tel: (212) 290-4700, Fax: (212) 736-1300, E-mail: [email protected] 1630 Connecticut Avenue, N.W., Suite 500, Washington, DC 20009 Tel: (202) 612-4321, Fax: (202) 612-4333, E-mail: [email protected] 33 Islington High Street, N1 9LH London, UK Tel: (171) 713-1995, Fax: (171) 713-1800, E-mail: [email protected] 15 Rue Van Campenhout, 1000 Brussels, Belgium Tel: (2) 732-2009, Fax: (2) 732-0471, E-mail:[email protected] Web Site Address: http://www.hrw.org Listserv address: To subscribe to the list, send an e-mail message to [email protected] with “subscribe hrw-news” in the body of the message (leave the subject line blank). Human Rights Watch is dedicated to protecting the human rights of people around the world. We stand with victims and activists to prevent discrimination, to uphold political freedom, to protect people from inhumane conduct in wartime, and to bring offenders to justice. We investigate and expose human rights violations and hold abusers accountable. We challenge governments and those who hold power to end abusive practices and respect international human rights law. We enlist the public and the international community to support the cause of human rights for all.
    [Show full text]