Former paramilitaries form anti-land restitution army: NGO .
Former paramilitaries form anti-land restitution army: NGO .
Tuesday, 21 February 2012 08:01
Charles Parkinson
Former paramilitaries are being re-enlisted in a private army which will be used to violently resist the restitution of land to displaced farmers in the north-Colombia Cesar department, according to NGO Nuevo Arco Iris.
The claim was made following an investigation in to the agreed formation of an armed force by politicians and ranchers in the Venezuelan border department of Cesar. Although ostensibly formed to defend against FARC incursions, the NGO suggests that it is also intended as a tool to resist land restitution measures.
Nuevo Arco Iris investigator Ariel Avila said, "On December 17 [last year] there was a meeting (...) attended by a group of ranchers and politicians from Cesar concerned with the recent incursions by FARC, so it announced the creation of an army that would protect them. Then in a second meeting on January 13 (...) it was determined to be an instrument against the land restitution act."
According to Avila, up to 150 former members of the Northern Bloc have been enlisted and are due to enter service in March.
More:
http://colombiareports.com/colombia-news/news/22323-former-paramilitaries-form-anti-land-restitution-army-ngo.html