PBI-Colombia accompanies the Peace Community of San José de Apartadó at 18th anniversary commemoration of massacre

On March 14, PBI-Colombia tweeted:

“#Blog | Eighteen years ago in the Massacre of Mulatos and La Resbalosa, eight people were cruelly murdered. Since then, each year on the 21st of February, @cdpsanjose [the Peace Community of San José de Apartadó] organize a commemorative act to pay tribute to them.”

On February 21, PBI-Colombia accompanied the Peace Community of San José de Apartadó at an 18^th anniversary gathering to remember the massacre of community members by the Army and paramilitary forces.

Now PBI-Colombia has posted this article about that accompaniment: 18 YEARS SINCE THE MASSACRE OF MULATOS AND LA RESBALOSA.

That article notes:

“Eighteen years ago, an event took place that profoundly impacted the Peace Community of San José de Apartadó: the Massacre of Mulatos and La Resbalosa, during which eight people, three of them minors, were cruelly murdered. This massacre, perpetrated by the XVII Brigade of the Colombian Army together with the Autodefensas Unidas de Colombia (AUC), the paramilitary group that existed in the territory at the time, marked a milestone of separation with the State due to the lack of security guarantees and its responsibility for the impunity of these and other acts of violence that the Peace Community has faced since its creation.”

It further notes:

“Mass in the village of La Resbalosa, 12 pm on February 21st – the exact time and date of the massacre perpetrated 18 years ago. The community sing in memory of the victims of the massacre, as they sit in the forest and listen to the words of Father Javier Giraldo, a priest who has accompanied the Community since its foundation.”

The article also mentions: “The Peace Community will be celebrating its 26th anniversary on 23 March 2023 and is organizing a grand celebration.”

The Peace Brigades International-Colombia Project has accompanied the Peace Community of San José de Apartadó since 1999.