AMERICA/COLOMBIA - Once the peace agreement is signed, the real challenge of the government will be how to handle the situation

Monday, 13 July 2015

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Bogota (Agenzia Fides) - All have hope and confidence that the peace talks will reach a final agreement, but it is necessary to go beyond the signing in Havana, and that the government is present in the most remote regions of Colombia. This is what the Bishops of the diocese of Quibdo, Tumaco, Tibu and Santa Marta said, along with the Archbishops of Cali and Medellin, who during a press conference presented the challenges that exist in the region, stressing that their ecclesiastical jurisdictions have been the most affected by the conflict in recent months.
The note sent to Fides from a local source, indicates that His Exc. Mgr. Omar Alberto Sánchez Cubillos, O.P., Bishop of Tibu, said he was confident that the peace agreement will be signed, but considers that the real challenge for the government will be to handle the situation. He said that his territory is not only controlled by the FARC, but also registers the presence of ELN and gangs. "The situation is causing anxiety", he commented.
Mgr. Gustavo Girón Higuita, O.C.D., Bishop of Tumaco, highlighted how the city has lived for the past month with no electricity and no water. Despite being in an area at the center of the conflict, he believes in dialogue, because "with weapons you cannot achieve peace".
The Bishop of Quibdo, His Exc. Mgr. Juan Carlos Barreto, also highlighted, however, how a year ago he denounced the humanitarian crisis in his area, and this continues today. So far the government has intervened once. He added that the challenge of the next mayor of Quibdo will be transparency in the management of resources.
According to the note, these Bishops presented the main concerns of the people in their area at the end of the Plenary Assembly, held last week in Bogota (see Fides 11/07/2015). Among these, the most serious problem is the lack of drinking water in the Diocese of Santa Marta; the procurement system for public works seems to be run by drug trafficking in Cali; the power of organized crime gangs prevails in Medellin. (CE) (Agenzia Fides 13/07/2015)