Colombia seeks stability
Think of Colombia and many things spring to mind, unfortunately most of them are negative in nature. Decades of civil war, notorious drug-trafficking and the highest rate of kidnapping in the world are all frontline issues that need to be resolved.
The man in charge is Alvaro Uribe, who came to power in 2002, vowing to tackle the illegal armed gangs and drug lords. In his latest initiative, the Colombian President has opened a conference hoping to secure international aid for a peace process with right-wing AUC paramilitaries.
The government is committed to retrain the guerrillas for civilian life. More than 4,000 AUC members have already surrendered their weapons over the past few months. However, there were signs that Colombia’s biggest foreign donor, the US, would refuse to back the process. Up to ninety per cent of all cocaine on American streets comes from Colombia.
The US administration is keen to eradicate the supply at its source. Colombia has received more than three billion dollars in aid from the US in the last five years, making it the third largest US aid recipient, after Israel and Egypt.
US legislation allows the aid to be used against drug lords, but not for any other campaigns, such as the government fight with left-wing rebels. Six senior American congressmen demanded tougher conditions on any disarmed paramilitaries.
Mr Uribe rejects the US demands, saying the AUC will never sign up to them. He told delegates from 24 countries in the city of Cartagena that his bill was fair and could be used as a framework for peace processes with other armed groups in Colombia.
Violence may have grown out of social and political splits in a highly stratified society, but drug-trafficking and drug related crime have added to Colombia’s volatile mix. At least 35,000 people have been killed over the past decade. The problem goes back to the 1960s when left-wing insurgents unhappy with the power and wealth distribution in the country formed two rebel groups, FARC and ELN.
The AUC, considered the most brutal faction in the conflict, formed in 1997. The Colombian government has worked hard to sever links between the military and the paramilitary death squads but they still exist and indeed groups like Human Rights Watch insist the ties are stronger than ever.
To make matters even more complicated, Venezuela froze links with Colombia after it admitted paying bounty hunters who had captured Rodrigo Granda, a rebel chief, on Venezuelan soil. Venezuela’s President Hugo Chavez says that a diplomatic spat with Colombia over this problem could have led to war. It did not matter, he said, if it was “Jack Ripper, Hannibal Lector or the worst mass murderer in the world”, sovereignty had to be respected.
The relations seemed to be on the mend however, when he said that Venezuela’s ambassador to Bogota – who was recalled when the crisis erupted – had already returned to his post. Chavez added that he now considered the crisis “practically” over.
Colombia’s problems, however, do not end there. President Uribe is attempting to change the constitution to allow him to stand for an unprecedented second term in May 2006 – a move that has already sparked protests.
In relation to the economy, the President is trying to impose some fiscal austerity, raising taxes to plug gaps in public finances, a move that has already provoked some unrest. Despite decent economic growth, poverty is widespread and unemployment is high.
Nevertheless, in light of the nearly impossible challenges he faces, some of his actions are understandable. The calls for a peace process and international aid are steps in the right direction.
With sufficient international backing, from the US in particular, and some progress in disarming the local paramilitaries, the man with a mission should be able to set his country on the road to recovery and relative stability.
