Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Bogota (Agenzia Fides) - Official statistics speak of 3 million people who have been dispossessed from their lands and properties in Colombia because of armed conflicts that have affected the country for years. The protection of human rights organizations argue that the number of "displaced persons" is actually about 5 million. To face this humanitarian crisis a new monitoring program has started, supported by the World Council of Churches and other religious organizations. In December 2009, the Attorney General of Colombia reported 2520 cases of missing persons, out of a total of 35,665 crimes confessed by paramilitary forces. 2,388 pit holes were found and 2,091 bodies were exhumed in the country, of which only 796 were returned to their families. FARC and ELN rebel groups continued with massacres, indiscriminate attacks, evictions of farmers, torture and rape. In one department of Arauca 194 homicides were recorded in 2009. New armed groups, criminal gangs called "BaCrim", formed mainly by paramilitaries, are trying to control the territory. The main aspect of the monitoring program is the option for non-violence and local and international support and to achieve a peaceful solution to the conflict in Colombia. The program supports the restitution of land to displaced persons, the defense of human rights, the pursuit of justice and peace through dialogue, and encourages the presence of ecumenical international observers in specific areas for a period of at least three months each. The project has the support of the World Council of Churches, the Lutheran World Federation and ACT Alliance, a group of 111 church organizations that deal with humanitarian aid and development. (AP) (Agenzia Fides 14/10/2011)
