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Last Updated:3/12/02 |
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U.S.
Military and Police Aid
- Focus on Arauca and Putumayo:
Timeline of Current Events Putumayo: February
25 [http://www.diariodelsur.com.co/febrero/25/putumayo.php]  More
than 50 FARC guerillas detained approximately 150 people as they
drove between Puerto Asís and Mocoa. The insurgents demanded
between 1,000 and 3,000 pesos (40 U.S. cents to $1.20) in exchange
for returning their vehicles. Many of the victims claimed that in
addition to their cars, jewelry and cameras were also stolen. According
to a spokesperson for the 27th Brigade, a soldier a few kilometers
from the FARC roadblock was able to arrive in the area, forcing
the guerrillas to flee the scene and free the detainees.
[http://www.diariodelsur.com.co/febrero/18/putumayo.php] February
16
The San Miguel international bridge, which links Ecuador and Colombia, is the site of continuing guerrilla attacks and drug trafficking, with increasing attacks on the Trasandino oil pipeline and other energy sources. While in recent months there has been an increased Ecuadorian military presence along the border, Colombian soldiers are still routinely absent, despite an increased expenditure of military aid through Plan Colombia. So far, an article in the Pasto-based Diario del Sur notes, the heaviest security presence can only be seen in the larger towns, while municipalities like La Hormiga, San Miguel, Orito, Puerto Caicedo and Puerto Guzmán have yet to see a significantly increased presence. [http://www.diariodelsur.com.co/febrero/16/putumayo.php]  Colonel
Jorge Alonso Londoño Ramírez, commander of the
Mocoa-based Jungle Brigade number 27, visited the San Miguel international
bridge along with a number of government officials to assess the
security situation. Londoño Ramírez said that he is
working with authorities in Ecuador and the Colombian police to
prevent illegal armed groups and narcotrafficking from crossing
over the border.
After the visit government representatives and military and police authorities arrived in Puerto Colón, where they met with members of the community, listened to their concerns and set goals for the upcoming year. When addressing the issue of security in the area, the commander of the 27th Brigade as well as the Putumayo police announced that they would continue to take the necessary steps to provide more effective security and asked the community to denounce any violent acts that threaten oil and energy infrastructure or the environment. [http://www.diariodelsur.com.co/febrero/11/putumayo.php] February 9 After
the Plan Colombia commission visited the border region of San
Miguel, the national government promised to increase its presence
in the area by investing more resources in social investment programs,
improving telephone communication lines, and increasing military
presence and funding of anti-narcotics programs. The commission
believes that by increasing military presence the quality of life
in the region will improve significantly. These changes come at
a time when the Ecuadorian government has expressed criticism of
the current situation claiming that the lack of border controls
along the Ecuadorian-Colombian border allows guerrillas and terrorists
to cross unhindered.
[http://www.diariodelsur.com.co/febrero/9/putumayo.php] February 2 Along
with the coordinator of the "Familias Guardabosques (Forest-Protector
Families)" Program, Rita Combariza, the mayor of Mocoa, Elver
Cerón, announced that Mocoa municipality would be
added to the program, with a particular focus on the Sibundoy Valley
region. According to Cerón, despite the fact that Mocoa never
had illegal crops there are many peasants who do not have the resources
to grow legal crops. By joining the program as "preservers
of the environment", he argued, these resources could be used
to sustain several families.
The Forest-Protector Families program was begun by President Uribe and placed within the Plan Colombia framework as an alternative-development effort. The program pays communities to plant trees or allow land to revert to jungle, with the goal of sustainably harvesting timber several years' hence. The Guardabosques plan has not received support from the United States, which like most donor governments is unconvinced that forest products will be sufficient to support communities, or that a long-term plan exists to keep it sustainable. [http://www.diariodelsur.com.co/febrero/2/putumayo.php] Several mayors from Putumayo towns pledged to support the Families in Action Program, a Plan Colombia-funded social aid program run by the office of Colombia's Presidency. National Program Coordinator Rita Combariza presented the program's requirements and goals. So far, the program has reportedly benefited 9,068 families in Arauca, of which 7,848 have received money from the nutritional and education subsidies. In Putumayo, 5,150 families have benefited, and close to $4.3 million dollars have been invested. [http://www.diariodelsur.com.co/febrero/1/putumayo.php] |
Sources
close to President Uribe anno
unced
that he will visit the municipalities of Mocoa, Puerto Asís,
Orito, San Miguel and Puerto Guzmán in March. The purpose
of the trip will be to inspect government-funded programs in the
region, and speak to residents about their and needs. 
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