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Popular Struggle, Counterinsurgency, and Human Rights in Colombia

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Popular Struggle, Counterinsurgency, and Human Rights in Colombia A CENTURY OF VIOLENCE IN A RED CITY A CENTURY OF REDVIOLENCE IN A CITY Popular Struggle, Counterinsurgency, and Human Rights in Colombia LESLEY GILL ... DUKE UNIVERSITY PRESS Durham and London 2016 © 2016 Duke University Press All rights reserved Printed in the United States of America on acid-free paper ♾ Designed by Amy Ruth Buchanan Typeset in Chaparral Pro and Franklin Gothic by Tseng Information Systems, Inc. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Gill, Lesley, author. A century of violence in a red city : popular struggle, counterinsurgency, and human rights in Colombia / Lesley Gill. pages cm Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-0-8223-6029-2 (hardcover : alk. paper) ISBN 978-0-8223-6060-5 (pbk. : alk. paper) ISBN 978-0-8223-7470-1 (e-book) 1. Human rights—Colombia—History—20th cen- tury. 2. Working class—Colombia—History—20th century. 3. Labor disputes—Colombia—Barran- cabermeja—History—20th century. I. Title. JC599.C7G55 2016 986.1′25—dc23 2015026279 Cover design: Jenni Ohnstad IN MEMORY OF MY MOTHER, JOAN GILL (1927–2012) CONTENTS List of Acronyms ix Acknowledgments xiii Introduction 1 ONE Black Gold, Militant Labor 29 TWO Cold War Crucible 61 THREE Terror and Impunity 95 FOUR Unraveling 123 FIVE Fragmented Sovereignty 152 SIX Narrowing Political Options and Human Rights 183 SEVEN The Aftermath of Counterinsurgency 216 Conclusion 237 Notes 249 References 263 Index 275 ACRONYMS ACEDEGAM Asociación Campesina de Ganaderos y Agri- cultores del Magdalena Medio (Association of Middle Magdalena Ranchers and Farmers) ANAPO Alianza Nacional Popular (National Popular Alliance) ANUC Asociación Nacional de Usuarios Campesinos (National Association of Peasant Landholders) AUC Autodefensas Unidas de Colombia (United Self- Defense Forces of Colombia) BACRIM bandas criminales (criminal gangs) BCB Bloque Central Bolívar (Central Bolívar Bloc) CINEP Centro de Investigación y Educación Popular (Center for Research and Popular Education) CODHES Consultoría para los Derechos Humanos y Des- plazamiento (Consultancy for Human Rights and Displacement) CONVIVIRs Cooperativas de Vigilancia y Seguridad Privada (Cooperatives for Vigilance and Private Security) CREDHOS Corporación Regional para la Defensa de los Derechos Humanos (Regional Corporation for the Defense of Human Rights) CSTC Confederación Sindical de Trabajadores Colom- bianos (Union Confederation of Colombian Workers) CTC Confederación de Trabajadores Colombianos (Confederation of Colombian Workers) CUT Central Unitaria de Trabajadores (Unitary Workers Central) DAS Departamento Administrativo de Seguridad (Department of Administrative Security) ECOPETROL Empresa Colombiana de Petróleos (Colombian Oil Company) ELN Ejército Nacional de Liberación (National Libera- tion Army) EPL Ejército Popular de Liberación (Popular Libera- tion Army) FARC Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia) FEDENAL Federación Nacional del Transporte Marítimo, Fluvial, Portuario y Aéreo (National Federation of Maritime Transport, River, Port and Air) FEMSA company name FILA Frente de Izquierda Liberal Auténtica (Front of the Authentic Liberal Left) JACs juntas de acción comunal (neighborhood action committee) LGBT lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender MORENA Movimiento de Reconstrucción Nacional (Movement of National Reconstruction) MRL Movimiento Revolucionario Liberal (Liberal Revolutionary Movement) NGO nongovernmental organization OFP Organización Femenina Popular (Popular Femi- nine Organization) PANAMCO company name PCC Partido Comunista de Colombia (Colombian Communist Party) POSTOBON a Pepsi bottling company PSR Partido Socialista Revolucionario (Revolutionary Socialist Party) SINALTRAINAL Sindicato Nacional de Trabajadores de la Indus- tria de Alimientos (National Union of Food and Beverage Workers) x ACRONYMS SINTRAINDRASCOL an older union TROCO Tropical Oil Company UNIR Unión Izquierda Revolucionaria (Revolutionary Left Union) UP Unión Patriótica (Patriotic Union) USO Unión Sindical Obrera (Syndicated Worker Union) ACRONYMS xi ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Acknowledgments are expressions of solidarity: they give one the op- portunity to connect the people whose support, patience, insight, and affection intertwine in the production of a book. Because the research and writing of A Century of Violence in a Red City took ten years, I owe an enormous debt of gratitude to a number of individuals and organi- zations. In Colombia, the project would have been impossible without the sustained support of SINALTRAINAL, the indomitable Colombian trade union that never succumbed to intimidation and terror, even in the darkest days of the dirty war, and that continues to fight for equality, peace, and justice. Javier Correa, Juan Carlos Galvis, Luis Eduardo García, Efraín Guerrero, Armando Jurado, William Mendoza, Edgar Páez, Alfredo Porras, Gonzalo Quijano, Efraín Zurmay, and many more answered my endless questions, introduced me to others, pointed me in new directions, and, on occasion, put me up in their homes. Their generosity, humor, and political insights meant a lot to me, and their resilient struggles are a source of continuing inspiration. In addition to SINALTRAINAL, a number of people and organiza- tions educated me about daily life in the working-class barrios of Ba- rrancabermeja, after right-wing paramilitaries tied to the military occupied these neighborhoods and made life a living hell for a great many residents. Enrique explained the specific problems faced by sexual minorities. Eduardo illuminated the workings of the neighbor- hood action committees. Discussions with Pedro Lozada about rural life in the Middle Magdalena made me understand anodyne concepts, such as “displacement,” in more visceral, emotion-laden ways and to appreciate the challenges faced by displaced people in the city. Salva- dor described the frustrations and dilemmas of the young, and Jaime Peña demonstrated what it takes to demand justice. The women of the Popular Feminine Organization (OFP) introduced me to residents in different neighborhoods and explained the history of female popular struggle in Barrancabermeja. I am particularly grateful to Yolanda Be- cerra and Jackeline Rojas for their time and patience. The Christian Peacemaker Teams generously accommodated me for a period of time and helped me understand the nature of human rights activism in the city. Special thanks to Susana Collerd for her insights about life in northeast Barrancabermeja and to Amanda Martin of Witness for Peace for housing me in Bogotá and letting me tag along during a trip to Barrancabermeja. In the United States, I have benefited from years of ongoing dis- cussions with Aviva Chomsky, Forrest Hylton, Sharryn Kasmir, Steve Striffler, and Winifred Tate, who read all or portions of the manuscript. The book is immensely better because of their insights and observa- tions. Chris Krupa and David Nugent stimulated my thinking about the state during a conference they organized in Quito, Ecuador. Camilo Romero was a great friend, and Camilo Garcia listened to my argu- ments over the course of several years and helped me grasp life in the Middle Magdalena through his stories of working as a journalist there. I feel exceptionally fortunate to have all these individuals as friends and colleagues. I have also had the pleasure to work with Emma Banks and Gloria Pérez, graduate students at Vanderbilt University, whose own research in Colombia has enriched my thinking. Teresa Franco provided editorial assistance. I was fortunate to have institutional backing at various stages of research and writing. American University, Vanderbilt University, and the National Science Foundation provided crucial financial support for the project. Gisela Fosado of Duke University Press was a supportive editor, and the Duke University Press staff was always helpful. As he has in the past, Art Walters made it easier to navigate the dead ends and deal with the frustrations that typically arise in the course of writing a book. He was always willing to listen to me talk about issues and concepts that I had still not gotten my mind around. More impor- tant, his love and support made it possible to keep life in perspective. xiv ACKNOWLEDGMENTS INTRODUCTION ... The fraudulent alienation of the state domains, the robbery of the common lands, the usurpation of feudal and clan property, and its transformation into modern private property under circumstances of reckless terrorism, were just so many idyllic methods of primitive accumulation.—Karl Marx, Capital When I traveled to Colombia in 2004, at the invitation of Coca-Cola workers from the Sindicato Nacional de Trabajadores de la Industria de Alimentos (National Union of Food and Beverage Workers, SINAL- TRAINAL), it was the most dangerous country in the world to be a trade unionist. For several years, labor leaders had alleged that clandestine paramilitary groups were murdering and terrorizing them and union members with the collusion of Coca-Cola Company management. A lawsuit filed by SINALTRAINAL in U.S. federal court had charged Coca- Cola with gross human rights violations, and the union, feeling its back to the wall, was desperately trying to build international support for a campaign against Coca-Cola that would pressure the corporation and the Colombian government to stop the repression that was rapidly eroding the ranks of union membership. Coming on the heels of the 1999 protests against the World Trade Organization in Seattle—the so- called Battle of Seattle—the
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