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Urgent
Crisis In Narino State Southwestern Colombia
Colombia Support Network / Monday 2 April 2007
 

On April 2, CSN received the following worrisome information from Narino state in Southwestern Colombia :

According to the Diocese of Tumaco, 837 families, a total of 4,823 persons, were displaced from the rural hamlets of Taija, El Hojal and San Francisco, in the municipalities of El Charco and La Tola, fleeing from a battle between the Colombian Army’s Infantry Marine Battallion Baflim # 10 and the Front 29 of the FARC-EP. These families are in great need of food, medical attention and humanitarian aid .There are several children among those displaced persons. Different social organizations in the area call human rights organizations and international agencies such as the United Nations Agency for Refugees, the Red Cross and others to give attention to these persons.

The Diocese of San Andres de Tumaco in Narino reports that their office of Pastoral Social and other institutions such as social, indigenous, humanitarian and human rights organizations in Narino received a threat via internet on March 20 , 07 from a presumed paramilitary group called “Organization New Generation (ONG)”.

Due to the increased violation of Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law in this region, besides the lack of access of the population to their social, political, cultural and economic rights, these failure is reflected in the increased risk and vulnerability of the communities in the area. It is also worrisome the serious social problems created by the cultivation of ilegal crops and the indiscriminated crop spraying to indigenous and Afro-Colombian communities.

The diocese rejects the threats, and calls for the resolution of the grave situation in this part of the Colombian Pacific Coast because of the increased number of selective killings,dissapearances, massacres and displacement in this region.

The Process of Black Communities in Colombia also reports that between February and March of 2007 there had been 6 crop-sprayings in the town of El Charco that have destroyed the crops of the communities. There are checkpoints in the Tapaje river and people can not move in or out and there is no food. clean water or gasoline. People trying to escape the situation are sick with skin, respiratory diseases and diarrhea. More than 2,500 persons cannot leave and are walking in the mountains trying to get out . People report that in the Western Andes near the Pacfic there are paramilitary groups patrolling near the Patia river.

Please write to the Governor of Narino asking :

Mr. Eduardo Zuniga-Erazo
ximenaruales@int.gobernar.gov.co

To make an emergency plan to take care of the immediate needs of the displaced persons.

To the Colombian army :
Vice -Minister Sergio Jaramillo-Caro
serjara@mindefensa.gov.co

Navy Captain Jorge-Luis Garcia, Comandante Baflim No. 70 Tumaco, Nariño. Telefax: 011 57 2 7276121

To respect the hamlets, schools and health centers and not to convert them in battle-zones as is recommended by International Humanitarian Law. Not to pressure the communities to give information that would put their lives at risk.

To the FARC and paramilitaries not to use civilians as shields and to respect the autonomy of these communities and International Humanitarian Law.

Please contact your representatives in Congress and express your concerns about the lack of protection for the civilian communities in Southwestern Narino and continued human rights violations by supposedly demobilized paramilitaries. the actions of Organization Nueva Generacion and Aguilas Negras must be stopped.