AfroColombia.org

Congressional Record. US Senate. May 25, 2005

Mr. President, I rise today to bring attention to the situation of Afro-Latinos throughout Latin America, in the hopes that we can encourage more action on this issue. From Colombia to Brazil to the Dominican Republic to Ecuador, persons of African descent continue to experience racial discrimination and remain among the poorest and most marginalized groups in the entire region. While recent positive steps have been taken in some areas-- for example, giving land titles to Afro-Colombians and passing explicit anti-discrimination legislation in Brazil-- much work still needs to be done to ensure that this is the beginning of an ongoing process of reform, not the end.

Quibdó, Chocó
27 April 2005

Respected Dr. Alvaro Uribe Vélez:

On 24 April 2004, Monsignor Fidel León Cadavid Marín, bishop of the
diocese of Quibdó, personally delivered an open letter relating to the
crisis of state legitimacy in the Atrato region of Colombia. The letter
was signed by the Diocese of Quibdó, the regional indigenous
organisation, OREWA, and the community council of the Afro-Colombian
rural organisation, COCOMACIA.

The first letter expressed serious concerns over the security situation
suffered by indigenous and Afro-Colombian communities in the
municipalities of Bojayá, Murindó, Vigía del Fuerte and Medio Atrato,

Friday, April 22, 2005

In Buenaventura, since the demobilization of the paramilitaries, the internal problems in which we lived have become more acute.

The armed groups, both legal and illegal, in this city have increased their aggression, detaining decent and respectable community members.

So far this year we have had five [massacres], as follows.

1. In February, five people were massacred on the Simon Bolivar highway at the entrance to Barrio El Cristal. These people were mowed down by guns fired by motorcycle riders. The strange part is that there is a police station one block away.

AFRO-COLOMBIANS AND THE LEADERSHIP OF THE CONGRESSIONAL BLACK CAUCUS
Congressional Record. US Senate, April 4, 2005

Mr. OBAMA. Today I wish to commend Congressman BOBBY RUSH and other members of the Congressional Black Caucus for their work on behalf of Afro-Colombians. The consistent advocacy of the CBC on this human rights issue has been critical to increasing consciousness and activism in the U.S. and Colombia. Significant progress has made through this alliance, and I look forward to working with the CBC and other community groups on this issue.

Throughout Latin America, Afro-Latino communities remain marginalized -- socially, economically and politically. In the case of Colombia, the violence and disruption of the country's 40-year civil conflict have disproportionately affected Afro-Colombians. Many are now refugees in their own country after being forced to leave their homes, and they face widespread racial discrimination as they try to rebuild their lives. Although Colombia's 1991 Constitution granted Afro-Colombians territorial rights to the land they historically held, these rights are now being increasingly violated, as this land is taken from them. With little or no economic and educational opportunities available, many Afro-Colombian youths have turned to coca cultivation or joined guerrilla forces.

Refugees International (RI), 5 Mar 2005 - Groups of Afro-Colombians, after years of displacement in urban areas, have established peace settlements back on their collectively owned land, but increasing insecurity caused by the armed conflict in Colombia is threatening these settlements. Different armed groups, including the national army, are attempting to break their nonviolent resistance in order to enhance their military strategy and the communities are losing confidence in the capacity of the Colombian government to provide them with the necessary protection.

Gustavo Valdivieso and William Spindler
UN High Commissioner for Refugees
23-Feb-05

BOGOTÁ, Feb. 22 (UNHCR) - Scores of Afro-Colombians continued to flee their homes last week, pushing to nearly 1,300 the number of people displaced amid fears of an outbreak of fighting between paramilitary groups and government forces.

A UNHCR team dispatched to the town of Bellavista in the embattled province of Chocó has begun efforts to find shelter and assistance for the displaced in the region largely inhabited by Afro-Colombians - descendants of black slaves who number 10 million in Colombia.

QUIBDO, Colombia (UNHCR) - For the last eight years, life has been less than smooth sailing along the Atrato river. Boats plying this waterway in Choco province, north-western Colombia, have been caught in the crossfire of warring factions.

"Boats sailing the river are frequently inspected by members of the armed groups. They often take part or even all of the cargo," said Pastor Caicedo, who works for the Major Council of the Communities of the Middle Atrato (COCOMACIA).

Since 1996, armed groups have imposed an economic blockade on the Atrato river to prevent basic supplies from reaching their enemies. Passing boats are often accused of siding with one party or the other.