Peace Timeline: 2002

U.S. Military and Police Aid - Focus on Arauca and Putumayo:Timeline of Current Events Putumayo:
October 2003

October 29, 2003

In testimony before the U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, Robert B. Charles, assistant secretary of State for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs, stated that "incredibly, this Bureau's Air Wing and the Colombians have virtually eliminated the coca crop in the Putumayo region, once home to the world's largest nucleus of illicit cultivation. The coca crop in Putumayo reached 47,400 hectares in 2002. In March 2003, that same area was estimated to have 1,500 hectares of coca -- a 97 percent decline." ["Challenges for U.S. Policy Toward Colombia: Is Plan Colombia Working?" ,Testimony Before the U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations Washington, D.C. ,October 29, 2003]

October 23, 2003
After a three-day search, the bodies of eight family members were found in the municipality of Orito. All showed signs of torture and had been shot in the back of the head. It is not clear who is to blame for this gruesome crime, but authorities dismiss the idea that it was carried out by any illegal organization, and believe it could be part of a family vendetta.

That same day in La Hormiga a bomb went off outside the mayor's office, injuring 3 and killing one. The FARC decreed an "armed strike" preventing the transit of vehicles and persons on the region's roads and rivers. The measure aims to prevent people from voting on the referendum and local elections later this week. [El Tiempo]

October 15, 2003

Colombia defended the use of glyphosate in the border region before the Scientific Commissions' meeting, arguing that glyphosate is a low-toxicity product that does not affect human health.

The Ecuadorian commission avoided making any public statements about the Colombian conclusions; additionally the joint commission agreed to visit the border region in the near future. [El Tiempo (Colombia) http://eltiempo.terra.com.co/poli/2003-10-15/ARTICULO-WEB-_NOTA_INTERIOR-1285708.html]

October 14, 2003

The Colombian Ministry of Foreign Relations confirmed a meeting between the Scientific Commissions, which analyzed the effects of fumigations on the common border. A spokesperson for the Ministry also clarified that "Putumayo is not being fumigated, not because of Ecuadorian pressures but because the cycle has been completed."
According to the Ecuadorian minister of Foreign Relations, Patricio Zuquilanda, the Colombian minister informed the Ecuadorian government that President Alvaro Uribe had decided to suspend fumigations in the area "until a binational scientific commission analyzes the effects" of the fumigations in Ecuadorian territory. [El Tiempo (Colombia)
http://eltiempo.terra.com.co/coar/noticias/ARTICULO-WEB-_NOTA_INTERIOR-1284497.html]

October 2, 2003

A press release from the Colombian Ministry of Foreign Relations stated that the Scientific Commissions of Ecuador and Colombia were scheduled to meet in Bogotá on October 14. This commission was created to exchange information about the fumigation of illegal crops and to assess the impact, consequences and alternatives. The release added that fumigations currently are not being carried out in Putumayo. [Colombian Ministry of Foreign Relations http://portal.minrelext.gov.co/portal/webdriver.exe?MIval=mr_comunicaciones.html]