PBI-Colombia accompanies CREDHOS at discussion on the Peace Agreements, the worsening humanitarian crisis

Published by Brent Patterson on January 27, 2025

The Regional Corporation for the Defence of Human Rights (CREDHOS) has posted on Facebook:

“With the discussion ‘Current events and political challenges in the construction of peace and the defense of human rights’, we opened our day of balance and planning.

In this space we talked with Jairo Cala representative to the House of Representatives for Santander, about the progress in the implementation of the Peace Agreements, the challenges to overcome and the current situation in the face of the Humanitarian Crisis that is worsening in the territories.

There, participated the Human Rights Committees of the different municipalities of the Magdalena Medio Region, sister and allied social organizations and members of the Human Rights Network.”

Just three weeks ago, El Espectador reported:

“According to the organization, on January 1 in the morning hours they received a text message circulating a pamphlet declaring them a “military target,” along with other social leaders and victims in the region. The message, according to the complaint, was directed not only at the corporation, but also against four members of the human rights collective and social leaders in Barrancabermeja.

In the public complaint, Credhos points out that the Gaitanista Self-Defense Forces of Colombia (AGC) – also known as the Gulf Clan and self-styled as the Gaitanista Army of Colombia (EGC) – would be behind the harassment.”

Last week, Amnesty International issued this urgent action:

“On November 30, 2024, and again on January 02, 2025, CREDHOS publicly denounced that the armed group Gaitanista Army of Colombia (also known as Clan del Golfo or Gaitanista Self-Defense Forces of Colombia – AGC) plans to assassinate the president of CREDHOS, Iván Madero. The members of CREDHOS, as well as other civil society organizations and communities of the Middle Magdalena such as FEDEPESAN have been stigmatized and threatened with death for more than a year, as part of the process of territorial, political, economic and social control, expansion and strengthening of this armed group in the region. We call on the Colombian authorities to guarantee the protection of civil society organizations and communities in Magdalena Medio.”

PBI-Colombia has accompanied CREDHOS since 1994.