The

Wave of Killings and Peace in Colombia

Gearid Loingsigh
goloing@gmail.com

21/11/2016

The human rights and social organisations have expressed their concern and
consternation in the wake of the recent wave of murders of social leaders in the
country just when it seems that we are at the end of the peace process with the FARC
and about to begin implementing the accords.

Although the murders are shocking, it is not a new phenomenon. When the FARC
commenced their process, the Marcha Patritica (Patriotic March) suffered a series of
killing before and after the dialogue with the FARC started. The Polo Democrtico
(Democratic Pole) Senator Ivn Cepeda has, in declarations to the press, stated that
since 2012, 123 members of that political movement (bold in original) have been
murdered and of them 16 took place this year1 and we also have to include the
murders of members of other social movements such as the Congreso de los Pueblos
(Peoples Congress), unions, student organisations, opposition to mining. In a
nutshell, state terrorism has given no quarter throughout this process.

In the department of Cauca there was another wave of killings this year. Then, the
press tried to claim that the ELN were responsible for those killings, even when they
occurred in areas where they have their social base and there is no apparent motive
for the ELN to do so. You just cant blame the paramilitaries. The official discourse is
that we are at peace and the future is shining and if there are violent acts, then they
must be the actions of the other guerrilla organisation with which they havent been
able to make progress with. In an act of political sectarianism and servility to the
cause of the state, Carlos Lozano, the director of the Communist Partys newspaper,
Voz, also accused the ELN. He issued an open letter criticising the elenos for the
alleged murders of communists in the department of Arauca. The ELN denied it.
There is not sufficient room to go into detail on Lozanos allegations, but the Harry
Potter novels are closer to reality than the communist leaders outburst. Lozano
enjoys a certain amount of credibility amongst the left and even the bourgeois press
and he could have used his position to denounce the paramilitaries, but he preferred
to score points against the ELN, doing his pals in the FARC a disservice. It is worth
reminding the reader that Lozano will go down in history, not as an opposer of the
state, but rather as the communist who testified in favour of Csar Prez, the

1 Denuncian proceso de genocidio contra Marcha Patritica www.caracol.com.co

21/11/2016

paramilitary and intellectual author of the massacre of 43 people in Segovia, in the
case taken against Prez, where he was sentenced to 25 years.2

So, notwithstanding the declarations of Prezs little friend, we have to seek out those
responsible for these murders. The most recent wave cut short the life of a leader of
the Marcha Patritica, Erley Monroy in the department of Caquet, where the ELN
does not have any presence. The press, given that there are no elenos in the area,
instead of pointing to the paramilitaries, talk of a mystery and that the police are
investigating the matter. It is worth remembering that when the guerrillas attack the
army, a short while after they can name even the particular unit of the guerrilla front
that carried out the act.

They do not wish to acknowledge that the paramilitaries never went away. We can
expect little else from the Colombian press. Meanwhile various left-wing politicians
have not doubted the paramilitaries responsibility. The problem is not that they
point to the paramilitaries, but rather they dont tell us why. For many of them, the
murders are an attempt to hinder the peace process in its final stage with the FARC.
According to this version, the paramilitaries are enemies of the process, which may be
true, and that this explains the violence. If this were true, the main argument would
be to advance as quick as possible in the process and that ELN signs up to what the
FARC have agreed to, with a view to bringing the violence to an end as soon as
possible. Unfortunately, that violence cannot be explained in those terms and it will
not end with the implementation of the Final Accord with the FARC nor through the
process with the ELN.

Guatemala

Guatemala, shows us clearly what we can expect from the peace process in terms of a
reduction in, or ending of violence against social movements. This year Guatemala
celebrates 20 years since the signing of the peace agreement with the guerrillas of the
URNG. Just like in Colombia they promised a land of milk and honey, an end to the
violence and prosperity. There is a tendency to see violence in that country and also
in El Salvador as part of a process of social decay, and without a doubt, criminality,
poverty and drugs play their role. But here we want to focus on political violence,
state terrorism (a phrase that is no longer in fashion either there or here).

According to the Protection Unit of Human Rights Defenders-Guatemala (UDEFEGUA),
between 2000 and October 2016 there were a total of 4,958 aggressions against
activists in the country. Of those, 205 took place this year and the worst year was
2014, when 813 aggressions took place, amongst them intimidations, legal action,
house searches, murder attempts and of course murders.3 According to the same

2 The audio of Lozanos testimony is available at
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SABoNFMzg1E
3 See http://udefegua.org

source, the environmentalists are one of the main targets. This is no coincidence.
Guatemala is one of the countries most open to foreign investment and this has
undergone a dramatic increase through the construction of hydroelectric dams and
also mining. The current mining legislation in Guatemala is the result of the peace
process and was enacted during the first so-called post-conflict government (lvaro
Arz 1996-2000) and reduced the royalties from 6% to 1%.4 The resulting flux of
mining companies towards the country increased social conflict and the conflicts
surrounding land use and consequently there was an increase in the murders of
environmentalists and community leaders in the areas subjected to the depredation of
mining.5 One such example is the Santa Rita hydroelectric dam, financed by the World
Bank and the European Union. Yes the same EU that says it wants peace in Colombia!
This project did not have the permission of the indigenous community nor were they
consulted and six indigenous people have been murdered in an attempt to intimidate
the community. Two of the dead are children, both of them nephews of a leader in the
area who was in a meeting with the Rapporteur from the Inter-American Commission
on Human Rights at the time of the murders at the hands of an employee of the
company.6

When we ask about the waves of killings that have taken place in Colombia from the
beginning of the process with the FARC, we should look at what is taking place in
those regions, what are the interests at stake. Before, the Left and the human rights
NGOs, would almost do that as a reflex, applying the old refrain of following the
money. Not now, a leader is killed and they ask why? And to that question we can only
reply, isnt it obvious? It is for the same reasons of yesterday and yesteryear and the
same reasons why soon they will murder others. The killings do not contradict the
peace process, they are an integral part of the process and the post-conflict.
Capitalism won and feels the need to continue killing the opposition, just like they
continue to do in Guatemala, 20 years after finishing the process with the URNG.

In the same month of November, when the Colombian social organisations protest
about the recent murders, in Guatemala they are protesting about the murder of the
trade unionist Eliseso Villatoro and the journalist, Hamilton Hernndez and his wife.7
And on November 12th the assistant to the General Board of the Centre for Legal-

4 Vandenbroucke, E. (2008) Environmental and Social Impacts of Mining in

Guatemala: The Role of Local Communities and the Ecological Justice Movement, VUB.
5 There are many reports available on mining and human rights in Guatemala, one

such one the reader can begin with is Amnesty International, AI (2014) Mining in
Guatemala: Rights at Risk, amr 34/002/2014 www.amnesty.org

6 Artur
Neslen (2015) Green dam linked to killings of six indigenous people in
Guatemala www.theguardian.com

7 See http://udefegua.org op.cit.

Environmental Social Action of Guatemala (CALAS), Jeremy Abraham Barrios Lima
was shot to death in the Guatemala city.8

Lets not fool ourselves, these murders will continue and the fans of the process will
forget them, just like now they forgot the killing spree that the peace process began
with. We should mourn these leaders, but we cannot accept that their murders
represent an obstacle to the peace process. The fans of the process have already
shown that they are willing to sign anything put under their noses. These murders are
an integral part of the process and they will continue for many years after, because
triumphant capitalism needs to guarantee its stability. The social organisations
cannot let down their guard, not now, nor after the implementation of the accords and
they should pay no heed to the fans of the process who promise an end to state
terrorism. It is not in their power to bring end to such violence..

8 Amnesty International, Urgent Action AMR 34/5144/2016