As Colombian Army's Human Rights Record Deteriorates, Civilians are Caught in Crossfire of 40-year Civil War

Interview with Lisa Haugaard, of the Latin America Working Group, conducted by Melinda Tuhus

Members of the U.S.-trained, Colombian Anti-drug group show their skills during a graduation ceremony at the Larandia military base, Caquaeta province, May 24, 2001. (Asheville Global Report) The war in Colombia has almost disappeared from U.S. corporate media coverage, even as several other countries in Latin America, such as Brazil, Bolivia and Venezuela have become the new focus of press attention. But a civil war is still raging in Colombia -- as it has for more than 40 years, killing tens of thousands of people, mostly civilians. The armed groups involved in the combat include the Colombian Army, the right-wing paramilitary group, United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia or AUC, closely allied with the army, and two major guerrilla groups, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia or FARC and the National Liberation Army or ELN.

The U.S. is intimately linked with the war, as it has given $700 million a year in aid to the government of Colombian President Alvaro Uribe, purportedly to stamp out production of coca, from which cocaine is derived. The so-called Plan Colombia was initiated by the Clinton administration, and continues under President Bush. Eighty percent of the U.S. funding given to Bogata is military aid.

In the midst of the war, a number of small rural communities have declared themselves combat-free zones, but the various factions don't necessarily respect their wishes. Between The Lines' Melinda Tuhus spoke with Lisa Haugaard, executive director of the Latin America Working Group, based in Washington, D.C., about the human rights situation in Colombia, where many civilians are caught between combating forces and the status of the U.S. funded Plan Colombia.

For more information on how to participate in the April 26 Call in Day for Colombia, asking members of Congress to reallocate aid for civilian needs, contact the Latin America Working Group at (202) 546-7010 or visit their website at www.lawg.org

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