Letter from Sen. Paul Wellstone (D-Minnesota) to Gen. Martín Orlando Carreño, head of the Colombian Army's Fifth Brigade, May 23, 2001

Letter from Sen. Paul Wellstone (D-Minnesota) to Gen. Martín Orlando Carreño, head of the Colombian Army's Fifth Brigade, May 23, 2001
(Español)

Wellstone Presses Colombian General on Paramilitary Ties in Barrancabermeja

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

General Martin Orlando Carreno
Calle 14, Carrera 33
Commandante Quinta Brigada
Bucaramanga - Santander
Colombia

May 22, 2001

Dear General Carreno:

Thank you for meeting with me and Ambassador Patterson when we visited Barrancabermeja in March. Our discussion was important, and I appreciated hearing your perspective, as the region's chief military commander, on the violence in Barrancabermeja and the Magdalena Medio region.

During the debate surrounding Plan Colombia, the U.S. government and Colombia pledged to work to reduce the production and supply of cocaine while protecting the human rights of ordinary Colombian citizens against abuses by both guerilla and paramilitary groups alike. As you know, I had grave reservations about the U. S. government giving such a large military package to Colombian security forces which have yet to break long-standing ties with paramilitary units, responsible for daily massacres and the bulk of human rights abuses in Colombia today.

On both of my visits to Colombia, I heard repeated reports of military-paramilitary collusion throughout the country, including in the southern departments of Valle, Cauca and Putamayo, as well as in the city of Barrancabermeja, which I visited in December and March. Consistently, the military, in particular the army, was described to me as tolerating, supporting and actively coordinating paramilitary operations, which often ended in massacres. I was also told that too often detailed information was supplied to the military and other authorities about the whereabouts of armed groups, the location of their bases, and yet authorities were unwilling or unable to take measures to protect the civilian population or to pursue their attackers.

In that regard, I discussed with you the status and location of the San Rafael paramilitary base. The base is operating openly in an area under your command, and its activities have directly caused much of the bloodshed in the region. Almost three months after our meeting, however, it is my understanding that you have taken no effective action to curtail the operations of the San Rafael paramilitary base, and that it remains open for business.

For me and many of my colleagues in the Senate, the failure of Colombian security forces to take action against rising paramilitary violence is intolerable. U.S. public support for Plan Colombia will erode if the Colombian military does not take prompt, effective steps to end paramilitary operations, which too often result in atrocities.

I would appreciate it very much if you could reply to me with any information detailing specific actions you have taken or intend to take immediately against this paramilitary base. Thank you for your attention to this serious matter.

Sincerely,

Paul D. Wellstone
U.S. Senator

As of May 24, 2001, this document was available online at http://wellstone.senate.gov/colombia6.htm