PBI-Colombia accompanies CAHUCOPANA at Human Rights Commission meeting in Northeast Antioquia

The Peace Brigades International-Colombia Project has tweeted: “On July 20, a Human Rights Commission was held in Northeast Antioquia with the presence of @CAHUCOPANA with the accompaniment of PBI. On the previous two days, a community strengthening workshop with a territorial approach was held.”

The Humanitarian Action Corporation for Coexistence and Peace in Northeast Antioquia (CAHUCOPANA) report on the meeting can be read here.

Excerpts from it include: “There has been evidence of an increase in human rights violations with murders, threats, extortion and violations of International Humanitarian Law, thus generating a difficult and complex situation that has left the civilian population and the community leaders, human rights defenders, who have seen limited, persecuted and stigmatized their leadership work.”

“This is not only related to the breach of the peace agreement, but also to the historical debt that the State has with the communities, the abandonment and lack of guarantees to live in a peaceful territory with social investment.”

“We appeal to those who dispute control of our territory, to respect for life and liberty, as well as for the Colombian State to carry out an integral presence and not only armed, through the implementation of the spaces and tools defined in the final agreement, such as PEDTS [Territorially Focused Development Plans].”

The report also includes this ask: “To the international community, we request support, vigilance and oversight of current situations, as well as, where possible, an intermediation to be able to overcome violence.”

Also in attendance at that meeting were the Small-Scale Farmer Association of the Cimitarra River Valley (ACVC) and the Corporation for Judicial Freedom (CJL), two groups also accompanied by PBI-Colombia.

The ACVC report highlights: “The most relevant conclusion of this important space was to establish that the difficult human rights situation through which the territory passes is due in large part to the non-compliance by the national government with the implementation of the Final Peace Agreement, especially points 1 [comprehensive rural reform], 2 [political participation] and 3 [end of the conflict].”

PBI-Colombia has accompanied CAHUCOPANA since 2013.