Rebels Kill Peace Activists

FARC Rebels Allegedly Seized and Executed Activist

FARC rebels allegedly seized Ortega at a youth assembly in Caño Seco, on the Jiguamiandó River, and shot him to death 20 meters away. The rebels then reportedly prevented his friends from taking his body to Costa de Oro, where he had lived with his family. Sánchez, who was Ortega’s sister-in-law, was murdered in Costa de Oro. The Pastoral Social and CINEP issued a communiqué demanding that armed groups respect the autonomy of communities that seek to remain outside the armed conflict. “We demand fewer populist speeches and more respect for the people,” the communiqué stated. “We demand that campesinos, as part of the civilian population, be allowed freedom of movement and expression.”

Community Rejects Presence of All Armed Groups

The San Francisco de Asís Community of Peace was formed by about 4,000 campesinos who began returning to their lands at the beginning of 1998 after being displaced for nearly a year in Pavarandó, in Antioquia Province. They were forced from their land by an outbreak of armed violence between paramilitaries and rebels in the Darién region of Chocó Province. Since they organized themselves as a community of peace—rejecting the presence of all armed groups—the residents have suffered several attacks from both sides. (El Tiempo (Bogotá) 1/4/02)

Four Peace Communities

There are 58 campesino communities in Urabá which have organized themselves into four communities of peace: San José de Apartadó, in Antioquia Province; and Natividad de María (in Curvaradó Municipality), Riosucio and San Francisco de Asís, all in Chocó Province. (Equipo PBI-Colombia Información-Catorce días #193 11/12-25/01 from ET 11/25/01) From the Weekly News Update on the Americas (ISSN 1084-922X), published by the Nicaragua Solidarity Network of Greater New York, 339 Lafayette St., New York, NY 10012, 212-674-9499, wnu@igc.org.