While international attention is captured by the imminence of a possible war against Iraq, other equally or more serious conflicts have been pushed into the background. This is most notorious in the case of Colombia, a country that for the last 40 years has been torn by a civil war which it seems unable to resolve. From Porto Alegre, civil society leaders and even a Colombian senator have appealed for help.
The meeting, titled "The war in Colombia: geopolitical changes and military intervention", called by the Civil Society Permanent Assembly for Peace was perhaps one of the most dramatic so far in terms of its content. Some of the figures given and realities recounted by the speakers did no more than paint a true picture of a reality which the international community is given a very partial version of through the media.
The conflict in Colombia, according to Jorge Rojas, is like a cork bobbing about on the waves, going nowhere. This activist from the Permanent Assembly, a Colombian network of organizations, communities, parties, unions and even churches, believes that the war in Colombia cannot be won, but must be resolved. The government of President Alvaro Uribe has opted for the militarization of Colombian society, has refused to negotiate and pursues a policy of permanent intimidation of human rights and peace activists. One example of this policy was the raid on the offices of the Permanent Assembly on 25 October 2002 by the Judicial Police and the Army, without any official explanation being offered for the motives for this action.
The silent and attentive audience heard Rojas criticize both sides of the conflict -the State and the guerrilla- and state that, as in all wars, the main victim is civil society. "How long will the armed struggle last?" he asked. "This is an ideological question that we must ask." The peace activist added that it is not by harming civilians that the revolution will be won, a clearly reference to the Armed Revolutionary Forces of Colombia (FARC), and expressed the view that in Colombia today it is more revolutionary to make peace than war.
In this South American country 20 people die every day, 15 of whom are murdered in their homes, their workplaces, or on the street, and the victims are always unarmed. Over the last three years 1,000 people have been displaced per day. The Patriotic Union, an opposition party, has buried more than 3,500 of its supporters in the last 15 years. "A country cannot endure that kind of level of social fragmentation," stresses Rojas. The only possible way out is a negotiated political solution, compliance with which can be demanded of the government, the United States, and the guerrilla, which presents the same demands as civil society, but uses violence to try to achieve them.
Civil society is prepared to work towards a political proposal covering these issues, but it first must struggle for a negotiated and lasting peace. The main points in the peace proposal, which has already been presented are: 1) a political solution to the armed conflict; 2) sovereignty, not military intervention, which should be a social and political demand; 3) a global humanitarian human rights agreement, to be presented to all parties; 4) guarantees for civil action with government guarantees; 5) an independent evaluation of the State's anti-drugs policy.
The meeting, which was attended by some 60 people, mostly from Latin America, was enriched by the interventions made by several participants. Olga, a leader from the Antioquia region, added the voice of women for peace. She said that women are organizing to not give up their children to the war, a campaign that has received the support of those young people who oppose forced recruitment, a growing phenomenon on both sides of the conflict.
Olga described the extreme degree of militarization that is affecting Colombian society, and called for a demonstration against all wars on 15 February, all over the world, but especially in Latin America.
The meeting ended with the testimony of Senator Piedad Córdoba, from the Colombian Liberal Party, who recently suffered an attempt on her life and was kidnapped by the paramilitary in 1999. The senator made an urgent appeal to international solidarity for support to resolve the conflict in Colombia. She warned that Colombia is on track towards a humanitarian crisis that will be much more serious than people imagine, since the government is using all the resources from its Development Plan to fund the war and not to fight poverty. She denounced the militarization measures promoted by President Alvaro Uribe, which include the recruitment of 15,000 new soldiers, 150,000 peasant militias and a network of a million informants as a means of controlling society with the aim of eliminating anyone who thinks differently.
In the same way that the leaders of the Permanent Assembly had, Senator Córdoba appealed for a global humanitarian agreement, which is urgently needed, given the State's inability to put a stop to the violence. She also pointed out that the true enemies of Colombia are poverty, exclusion, and State policies in a country where 12% of the population live below the poverty line.
The senator also praised the work done by non-governmental organizations. Her emotional appeal was met by sustained applause, which seemed to seek to transmit the complete solidarity and desire for peace of those present.
