Colombia cracks down on rural reform protests
Inserbia Info | April 30, 2014
Colombia cracks down on rural reform protests
BOGOTÁ, Colombia – While Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos criticizes Nicolás Maduro of neighboring Venezuela for repressive tactics, he himself has now ordered armed troops, armored vehicles and gendarmerie agents onto the streets of the Colombian capital to disperse demonstrators.
In September of 2013, Santos proposed a package of rural land reforms aimed at ending a strike held by agricultural workers that lasted for nearly a month (Aug. 19 – Sept. 12) and caused his public popularity to drop significantly.
The strike called for a recognition of farmer territories, access to land, the establishment of political rights for rural workers and farmers and an introduction of social spending for rural education, health and public services, which were practically null at the time.
Agreements were signed then between the government and representatives of major agrarian worker unions, although many workers said they were not represented.
Now, the rural laborers, who have been striking and plan to do so until May 25 when Santos will run for re-election, have taken to the streets because they say the President has failed to honor the agreements made in 2013.
Of course, Santos, who is in quite a delicate political situation at the moment with his future riding on the elections, has been critical of the workers’ strike and demonstrations.
“I would say that there is no justification for a strike at this time,” said Santos, just as he did in 2013 when he denied there was an ongoing crisis until the demonstrations hit a critical juncture, and he added that the government has never supported rural workers and producers like they are currently doing.
The demonstrators feel differently and have taken to the streets of urban areas to show their discontent with the lack of change in the lives of millions of poor, rural Colombians.
The scenes were similar to 2013: A general strike called by sectors of rural laborers (producers of rice, sugarcane coffee, beans, cocoa, cotton, potatoes, dairy, etc.) and they were joined by peasant organizations, miners, health and education workers, truckers, students and various union members.
Roads were blocked, especially on the routes that deliver rural goods into the cities, and demonstrations were held across 30 Colombian cities. The subsequent clashes between protesters and security forces resulted in at least 8 deaths, over 400 injured and over 500 arrests with instances of human rights violations committed against the demonstrators as tear gas and rubber bullets were employed.
Seemingly to avoid a repeat of the deadly clashes that marked last year’s demonstrations, the Santos administration ordered the heavily armed and protected troops and their vehicles to the major highways linking major cities and important squares in order to prevent any blockages or demonstrations.
It is also speculated that the President has reinforced the security forces so strongly due to the expected gathering of many more groups, in support of the protesting factions, on May Day (May 1).
Agricultural Dignities, a sector of the striking faction (one that mostly produces potatoes), led by César Pachón, was present at a summit of campesino (peasant farmer) organizations earlier this month. At the summit, the leaders of the various organizations decided to protest once again and go on strike as the government has not fulfilled its promises that it made to the campesino groups during the 2013 strike.
Aurelio Iragorri, the Colombian Interior Minister, said that he also sees no reason for the strike because negotiations are producing results.
However, he could not point to any concrete developments and even went a step further by accusing the FARC rebels of wanting to “infiltrate the campesino mobilization.”
Similar statements were made by Defense Minister Juan Carlos Pinzón but the demonstrators vehemently denied any links with the rebel group or any other outside factors, and claimed that the government is simply making these empty accusations in an attempt to discredit the movement.
The FARC, Latin America’s oldest insurgency group, was formed in 1964 in response to the violent marginalization of farmers and peasants, obviously still a hot-button issue in Colombia today, and their armed insurrection against the Colombian government has turned into a conflict that has claimed more than 220,000 lives in over half a century of violence, and displaced another million.
During the early period of the peace talks in Cuba, six points were sought to be resolved by the warring factions. So far, a partial agreement on land reform, a sticking point for the FARC, has been achieved but in the sense for the FARC themselves and their historical territories, not the demonstrators involved in the current protests.
Pachón said that he personally spoke with Rubén Darío Lizarralde, the Colombian Minister of Agriculture, in the previous weeks, as have other campesino leaders, without any success.
“During our time together, Mr. Lizarralde did not speak at all of our major concerns: the high and ever-rising costs of fuels, fertilizers and pesticides, environmental damage, private banking in the area that receives special treatment and the devastating effect that Free Trade Agreements have had on rural farmers and workers,” said Pachón.
Many of the protesting people belong to various sectors of the indigenous peoples of Colombia, who number over 800,000 or 2% of the South American country’s population. To further complicate matters, the indigenous in the nation have been treated poorly and in this context, have beared the brunt of disproportionate use of state force during demonstrations.
Even Amnesty International warned that there are “serious concerns” about the safety of indigenous protesters. Marcelo Pollack, lead researcher for Amnesty International Colombia, said that “evidence gathered by the organization points to a use of deeply troubling violence by security forces against indigenous protestors.”
Whether more clashes are to follow remains to be seen, but with the rapidly approaching May Day and elections a few weeks later, the situation does not look to end well for either the demonstrators or Santos himself.
