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Action Alert for Colombia |
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Written by Administrator
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Friday, 19 May 2006 |
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Remembering the Victims and Rejoicing with the Peacemakers:
Days of Prayer and Action for Colombia
This Sunday and Monday,
May 21 & 22 Call Congress on Monday to demand that that U.S. aid to Colombia support human rights, alternative development and the internally displaced. Urge your representative to vote YES on any amendments to the foreign aid bill that transfer funds from Colombian military aid to economic and social aid. People from around the nation, including activists and people of faith, will be joining together in solidarity with the peacemakers of Colombia. As our Colombian partners strengthen their call for peace in their country, we will strengthen our call for an end to the U.S. role in Colombia’s violence.
Call the congressional switchboard at 202.224.3121 to be connected to your representative's office. Ask to speak with the foreign policy aide. It is okay to leave a message if s/he is not available. Or, to send a fax to your representative, visit the Sojourner's website at: http://go.sojo.net/campaign/colombia_06.
Here are some talking points for your call:
- Recent coca growth statistics show that aerial spraying has failed dramatically to reduce coca cultivation in Colombia. The amount of coca produced in 2005 was greater than the amount produced at the start of Plan Colombia in 2000, according to State Department figures. Plan Colombia has failed miserably at its initial goal to “reduce Colombia’s cultivation, processing and distribution of drugs by 50 percent over six years.” (White House Report on U.S. Policy and Strategy Regarding Counternarcotics Assistance for Colombia and Neighboring Countries, October 2000). The street price of cocaine in the U.S. has fallen and the supply of it has been unaffected.
- Since the beginning of Plan Colombia, aid to Colombia has totaled $4.7 billion. Of that, 82 percent has gone to Colombia’s military and police.
- Colombia is second only to the Sudan in its number of internally displaced persons, and is home to the worst humanitarian crisis in the Western Hemisphere. We should prioritize aid for displaced people and humanitarian relief efforts in Colombia, not military aid.
- In 2005 more grave violations than in previous years were committed directly by Colombia’s security forces, according to the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights’ office in Colombia.
- Peaceful protestors in Cauca were met with violence by Colombian police and military. More than 15,000 protestors mobilized on May 15 in favor of indigenous land rights and to protest free trade. One indigenous leader was killed and more than 30 were injured due to brutality by security forces.
- Paramilitary and drug trafficking networks retain a powerful hold over Colombian society. The OAS documents that demobilized paramilitaries have already begun to form new criminal groups that are involved in illegal drug trafficking, extortion and arms sales. Human rights defenders have been subject to a new wave of threats leading up to Colombia’s presidential elections, many by self-proclaimed new paramilitary groups.
More information for the action, including a sample call script and additional updates on the current situation in Colombia are available at www.peaceincolombia.org. Are you participating in the Sunday’s Day of Prayer? Worship resources for multiple denominations – including prayers, sermons and a bulletin insert – are available at http://peaceincolombia.org/prayerday.htm.
Statement from the organizers of the Days of Prayer and Action:
(See the list of cosponsoring organizations and participating congregations) “We come together to remember the victims of Colombia’s brutal armed conflict, and to rejoice with the peacemakers. We stand in solidarity and join in prayer with the people of Colombia who creatively, courageously, and sacrificially struggle for justice and dignified life in the midst of impoverishment and enduring violence.
"We commit to working in our communities and with our elected officials to change our government’s policies, which contribute to the violence and destruction our Colombian brothers and sisters describe as their daily bread. We commit to supporting new policies that contribute to peace, justice and sustainable development in the region.”
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