They are preyed upon by paramilitaries, who have often been linked to the Colombian military. There have been situations in which the Colombian military has been known to guard the perimeters of a town while the paramilitaries go in, take the citizens hostage, and slaughter them all.
Religious people who attempt to aid them themselves become targets. The death squads are capable of finding them anywhere. They have even been known to locate state's witnesses hiding as far away as remote parts of Canada, under new names.
The U.N. is fully aware of these hellish, predictably recurrent events. They issue reports, sweeping statements on the problems regularly. Nothing changes. The U.S. is of course more than aware of them, and the world's 3rd largest military aid package continues to pour into Colombia year after year after year.
From the U.N.:
2011 UNHCR country operations profile - Colombia
Working environment
The context
Internal displacement continues to present serious humanitarian concerns in Colombia, which had approximately 3.4 million people officially registered as internally displaced (IDPs) by mid-2010. The number has grown as a result of the long-lasting conflict between the Government and several guerrilla organizations, as well as the rise of new illegal armed groups and organized crime. The level of risk and vulnerability among IDPs remains high due to precarious living conditions, the absence of durable solutions and threats and selective killings, particularly related to the issue of land restitution.
While security has generally improved in densely populated areas in the highland regions, the situation has deteriorated in more sparsely populated areas, particularly in the coastal and border regions. Most IDPs are displaced from rural areas, but urban displacement is also on the rise. Of particular concern are Afro-Colombian and indigenous populations, which have been disproportionately affected by displacement, forced recruitment and sexual and gender-based violence.
The political debate in 2010 has been dominated by the presidential elections that took place in June. The new Government has announced it will give priority to the issue of land in relation to displacement. Many see this as a new opportunity to find solutions for IDPs.
Finally, a steady number of Colombians continue to seek international protection outside the country, with now more than 115,000 refugees and asylum-seekers in the region. In this respect, the new Government has worked swiftly to re-establish ties with neighbouring countries after a period of strained relations. Meanwhile, Colombia is fulfilling its international obligations to protect recognized refugees. A new decree adopted in November 2009 has improved refugee status determination (RSD) procedures, although the challenges arising from mixed migration flows are growing.
More:
http://www.unhcr.org/cgi-bin/texis/vtx/page?page=49e492ad6The Democrats in Congress, or most of them, have withheld approval on the next FTA with Colombia, insisting the record of assassinations and torture of labor union leaders, which is the worst in the world, must be addressed first. The Republicans, of course, don't believe it's a problem. We've even had a poster here claiming the labor union workers are themselves a criminal element and most likely were killed in the course of their unsavory lives.
Many military people, and Colombian politicians have been tried legally for their direct ties to the same people who commit these massacres. Some military people have been known to participate in the massacres themselves, alongside the paramilitaries. Some politicians have used the death squads to remove their political opponents.
Some wealthy Colombians, as in the case of Mario Uribe Escobar, the former President's (Alvaro Uribe) brother, bought stolen land from the paramilitaries, the people who go to landowners and suggest they sell them their land immediately, for a pittance, then suggest, if meeting resistance, they will take the matter up with the widow.
These poor people in the country, trying to live their lives in peace have no guardians to come to their rescue. What they do have is a constant threat that each day is easily their last day before a vicious, horrendous, unbelievably violent, soul-searing murder that will live on in the memories of any witnesses, traumatizing them for the rest of their lives.
Who on earth will come to their aid, after all these long years, as history repeats itself daily, with the governments FULLY aware of what has been happening?
These people are POOR, they have no POWER. They can't save themselves, and they know no one else will, either. That's why so many of they are members of the
largest displaced population on earth. They HAVE no homes.
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