Humanity versus hatred in Colombia [View All]

[Judi Lynn]

Humanity versus hatred in Colombia
By Juan Michel
6 Jan 2009

They are called Pueblo Nuevo (new town), Bella Flor (beautiful flower), Nueva Esperanza (new hope), El Tesoro (the treasure). Names that clearly show what "humanitarian zones" mean to the people who live there. Hundreds of families displaced by violence in Colombia's rural areas are trying to rebuild their lives in these zones while at the same time demanding the return of their land.

In October 1996, eight peasants were killed by paramilitaries in the Brisas de la Virgen community, in Chocó Department, in north-eastern Colombia. Some families in the community fled their homes, but not all of them. The disappearances and massacres began two months later. Dozens of bodies were seen floating down the River Atrato.

In February 1997, with the stated goal of annihilating the left-wing rebels, the armed forces launched Operation Genesis. The bombardment lasted for days in the municipality of Riosucio. As the name of the operation suggests, it was an attempt to create a new world: one in which there would be no place for peasants of African descent, indigenous peoples and the people of mixed race who had lived on the land for generations.

The families that remained began the long journey that comes with forced displacement. According to Amnesty International, around 6,500 people in 49 communities in the municipality of Riosucio had to leave their homes. Most of them walked through the jungle for weeks. Many died on the way.

More:
http://www.ekklesia.co.uk/node/8267