Population
40 million
58% Mestizo
20% European
14% mulatto
4% African
3% African-Indian
1% indigenous
Capital City
Bogotá
Leadership
President
Andrés Pastrana Arango
Religion
95% Catholic
Episcopal
Jewish
Colombian Ambassador to the
U.S.
Ambassador Carolina Barco Isakson
Embassy of Colombia
2118 Leroy Place N.W.
Washington DC 20008
Phone: (202) 387-8338
Fax: (202) 232-8643
Email:
emwas@colombiaemb.org
Web:
www.colombiaemb.org
BIO Colombia is located in Northwestern South America. It is bordered by Ecuador, Peru, Panama,
Brazil, and Venezuela, and is the only nation in South
America with access to both the Caribbean and Pacific
Ocean. The population is 95% Catholic and is made
up of three major ethnic groups, mestizos, those of
unmixed European ancestry, and mulattos. There are
also various important indigenous communities scattered
throughout the country.
The Roman Catholic Church has historically enjoyed a
close relationship with the government in Colombia as
well as a majority in terms of population. There are also
small but significant Jewish and Protestant groups, in
addition to the traditional religions practiced by the
indigenous Americans.
The Colombian economy’s main contributors are coffee
and petroleum. However, the illicit drug trade – mostly
cocaine - may bring in $300 million annually and has a
major influence on the present day political and eco-
nomic situation.
The 1960s and 1970s were marked by increased
activity by guerrilla groups, most notably the Rev-
olutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) and the
National Liberation Army (ELN). These two groups as
well as others became increasingly violent and bold
throughout those decades.
In August 1993, Ernesto Samper of the Liberal Party
was elected president and pledged to support religious
liberty in Colombia. He had great difficulty in controlling
the guerrilla movements, however, and the violence
continued. The chaos in Colombia was amplified by the
emergence of right-wing paramilitary groups and
anti-guerrilla vigilante groups who were often more
violent than the guerrillas themselves. Both groups
mounted offensives against each other, often raiding
villages, brutalizing and executing anyone suspected
of “collaboration” or sympathy with the opposing side.
According to Government sources, at least 41,000
Colombians, mostly poor farmers, were displaced as
they fled their homes to escape the escalating violence
between guerrillas and paramilitary groups.
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met with the FARC rebels, raising hopes that the long running civil war would end. In November 1998,
President Pastrana created a demilitarized zone of five districts in southern Colombia and ceded an
area the size of Switzerland to FARC. Another swath of land was given to ELN guerrillas as part of
peace talks. The guerrillas are now believed to control nearly 40 percent of the country and to have
pushed closer to the capital, Bogotá.
Guerillas and paramilitary groups
As guerrilla and paramilitary groups continue in their bloody battle over power, drugs and land control,
they often attempt to force the peasants to support or even actively fight for their “cause.” In 1998, the
peasants in the area of Apartado, finding their communities torn apart by violence and
characterized by
fear and suspicion, came together to proclaim that they wished to be completely neutral in the conflict.
Their hope was that the warring groups would respect this neutrality and peace might return to
their
devastated communities. Instead, they have found themselves attacked by both paramilitary groups
and guerrillas who are of the opinion that a lack of active support is tantamount to active opposition.
Disappointingly, government forces in the area have not offered their protection; in fact, they have
actually been suspected of tacitly aiding the paramilitary groups. Sadly, more than eighty peace
community members have been murdered since the initial declaration in 1998. On
July 8, 2000,
masked militia members stormed the community of La Union, assaulting the nuns who protested, and
publicly assassinated six leaders of the community as army helicopters flew overhead. A year later the
paramilitaries invaded the village again and murdered a 17 year old youth who tried to escape in fear.
Peace communities:
Justicia y Paz, (Justice and Peace) an interdenominational Colombian
organization headed by Father
Giraldo, realized that if these peasants were to survive they must have the aid and solidarity of other
Christians. They came to the conclusion that the only way to practically help them was to accompany
them and stand with them in physical as well as moral solidarity in these peace communities, putting their
very lives at risk.
It is the opinion of many that if the nuns, priests and other
lay workers were to be removed from the
communities, the peasants would be massacred by both sides. As it stands, the communities live day to
day – praying and hoping for divine protection.
Overall human rights situation:
- It is estimated that there are currently 2,800 hostages being held by rebel groups.
- 25,000-30,000 people die each year in the civil war.
- It is estimated that someone dies every 20 minutes in an act of political violence.
- 45% of the world’s disappearances occur in Colombia.
- The annual murder rate is 15 times higher than in the US, which itself has a much higher murder rate
than Europe.
- Sixty percent of the murders of human rights workers throughout the world took place in Colombia.