Govt recalls land given to Jorge 40

[Judi Lynn]

Govt recalls land given to Jorge 40
Wednesday, 16 March 2011 12:36
Ben Hockman

The government reclaims land in the Magdalena department that was inadvertently handed over to connections of paramilitary Rodrigo Tovar Pupo, alias "Jorge 40," El Espectador reported Wednesday.

Jorge 40's men originally threw peasants off the land in the area of Chibolo, and then were given title to it by the government in a past land restitution program.

The government has now discovered the deception and plans to give the land back to its original owners. A total of 53 plots have been recalled in the area.

~snip~
The land was being redistributed as part of President Juan Manual Santos' ambitious campaign to return peasant land illegally seized by armed paramilitaries and guerrillas during the armed conflict. It is a significant project, the first phase of which alone will ensure the redistribution of five million hectares of land. This is just a fraction of the estimated 14 million hectares of total land seized during the conflict, according to figures previously reported by Colombia Reports and published by Colombia's Constitutional Court.

More:
http://colombiareports.com/colombia-news/news/14938-govt-recalls-land-given-to-jorge-40.html