izquierda80
17th October 2006, 07:33
The Agencia Prensa Rural (http://www.prensarural.org/spip/spip.php?article18), an alternative communications project created by the Peasant Associations of Arauca, Catatumbo, the Cimitarra River Valley and Northeastern Antioquia, has been denouncing abuses in Arauca and elsewhere along the Colombian countryside.
Many of the abuses involve, in particular, the Colombian Army, which has heavily militarized Arauca, arbitrarily detained peasant leaders and members of rural communities, and also previously participated in outright murders, including that of three social leaders in 2004.
http://www.prensarural.org/spip/spip.php?article13
On October 1st, one of the latest arbitrary detentions occured:
http://www.prensarural.org/spip/spip.php?article65
The general militarization of the region goes way back, but it's been recently mentioned, as well as earlier arbitrary detentions:
http://www.prensarural.org/spip/spip.php?article25
The abusive activities of Occidental Petroleum (OXY) have also been denounced:
http://www.prensarural.org/spip/spip.php?article12
Other recent abuses, however, involve the ELN guerrilla group, which on October 8 2006 detained four peasants and, according to an October 16 communique from the Agencia Prensa Rural based on information from the Asociación Campesina de Arauca, finally murdered them. Their bodies were found on October 9. One more peasant is missing and his fate is not known .
http://www.prensarural.org/spip/spip.php?article78
The same communique also mentions continued threats and robberies by the Colombian Army, incidently.
This latest bit is fruit of my personal speculation, but the ELN's killings may have to do with the localized "war" that it and FARC have been fighting in Arauca for some time now, against each other, the existence of which both groups have recognized on their own websites (so it is not simply a product of capitalist propaganda).
Many of the abuses involve, in particular, the Colombian Army, which has heavily militarized Arauca, arbitrarily detained peasant leaders and members of rural communities, and also previously participated in outright murders, including that of three social leaders in 2004.
http://www.prensarural.org/spip/spip.php?article13
On October 1st, one of the latest arbitrary detentions occured:
http://www.prensarural.org/spip/spip.php?article65
The general militarization of the region goes way back, but it's been recently mentioned, as well as earlier arbitrary detentions:
http://www.prensarural.org/spip/spip.php?article25
The abusive activities of Occidental Petroleum (OXY) have also been denounced:
http://www.prensarural.org/spip/spip.php?article12
Other recent abuses, however, involve the ELN guerrilla group, which on October 8 2006 detained four peasants and, according to an October 16 communique from the Agencia Prensa Rural based on information from the Asociación Campesina de Arauca, finally murdered them. Their bodies were found on October 9. One more peasant is missing and his fate is not known .
http://www.prensarural.org/spip/spip.php?article78
The same communique also mentions continued threats and robberies by the Colombian Army, incidently.
This latest bit is fruit of my personal speculation, but the ELN's killings may have to do with the localized "war" that it and FARC have been fighting in Arauca for some time now, against each other, the existence of which both groups have recognized on their own websites (so it is not simply a product of capitalist propaganda).