American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) is seriously concerned for the safety of the Afro-Colombian and peasant farmer communities of Yurumanguí River and the Juntas township, following reports from our field staff in the area that a high mountain battalion of 500 troops entered the township of Juntas on November 30, 2005 and are amassing in the region.

Their presence has increased the possibility of battles taking place within the community and is endangering the unarmed civilians by placing them in the midst of a possible battle zone. We have also been made aware that the battalion is accompanied by men with hoods over their heads and carries a list of names of community members for which no one knows the objective. In Colombia, accusing civilian populations of being guerilla collaborators is an all-too-common tactic used by military and illegal paramilitary groups to carry out extrajudicial executions, harassment, 'disappearances', massacres and massive displacements. In addition, leaders from the community, like Edison Valencia (a member of the Black Community Council of Juntas), are being harassed by the military troops and the hooded men that accompany them.

The United States has provided over $4 billion in 'aid' to Colombia since 2000, and over 80% of the aid goes to the Colombian Armed Forces and police including the high mountain battalions. Questions remain as to whether continued U.S. financial support for the Colombian military and police -- which are often complicit with illegal right-wing paramilitary groups -- aggravates the violence in these communities and sends the message that U.S. aid will not stop flowing even if they involve unarmed civilians in the conflict.

What we are asking:

Please write to your member of congress asking them to bring this to the attention of the State Department. This will help bring much needed attention to the situation and may prevent further serious human right violations from taking place.

FOR A SAMPLE LETTER TO CONGRESS AND WAYS TO FIND OUT WHO YOUR MEMBER OF CONGRESS IS PLEASE VISIT OUR WEBSITE AT: http://www.afsc.org/colombia/action/default.htm

Please let us know if you get a response from your congressperson so we can follow up with them and don't forget to send a thank you letter if they do respond. Our contact information is: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

THANK YOU FOR YOUR WORK ON BEHALF OF THE BLACK COMMUNITIES IN COLOMBIA.

American Friends Service Committee
Quaker Values in Action
Natalia Cardona
American Friends Service Committee
Latin America Caribbean Program
1501 Cherry Street
Philadelphia, PA 19142

Tel: 215-241-7162
Fax: 215-241-7177
www.afsc.org/colombia 

! Ni guerra que nos destruya Ni paz que nos oprima ¡

RUTA PACÍFICA DE LAS MUJERES 
Colombia