People from varied social sectors gathered on Sunday 29th August to commemorate the victims of a series of massacres committed against inhabitants of rural afro-Colombian communities by right-wing paramilitaries allied to the state in Southwest Colombia. Over just a few months in the year 2000, hundreds of heavily-armed paramilitaries terrorised the defenceless afro-Colombian communities which live in Buenaventura municipality, close to the main road between the port city of Buenaventura, Valle del Cauca, and the regional capital, Cali. The paramilitaries, working in collaboration with state forces and funded by businesses and landowners, sought to force the local communities to flee for their lives, thus taking away the ‘social base’ of left-wing guerrilla groups, whilst at the same time leaving the path open for mega-projects such as a major widening of the main road. Their brutal methods included cutting their victims up with chainsaws, slitting throats, and forcing families to watch the murder of their loved ones. Locals tell how the army disappeared the day before each massacre, and returned the day after, allowing the paramilitaries to carry out their work undisturbed. The true number of victims of the massacres is still unknown, but is thought to be hundreds.
One of the massacres took place in the small hamlet of Triana. As in other communities, all of Triana’s inhabitants fled the community in the aftermath of the killings, leaving a ghost town in their wake. It was only in 2005 that the community was able to return to the area. In 2007 a small group of women from the community who had lost sons, daughters, husbands and fathers began to organise themselves and became part of the National Movement of Victims of State Crimes (MOVICE). Gradually, more and more women have felt able to defy the fear that still grips many of them, and the group is now made up of around 40 women. It is particularly terrifying for the women to speak out because there are still active paramilitaries in the area, despite keeping a lower profile these days. “We know that they’re here, and that they’re keeping an eye on us, but they need to know that we don’t care- they can’t take anything else from me now, they already took my beloved son”, said one of the women. Unison Northern has developed links with the Triana Women’s group over the past 3 years, and was proud to be able to provide the funding for such an important and symbolic event.
Around 100 people from around the Valle del Cauca region attended the event, representing 17 different communities and organisations including trade unions, human rights organisations, and student groups. The day began with a symbolic ‘convoy’ along the route taken by the paramilitaries when they committed the massacre: stopping at the scenes of 14 massacres along the way to plant a tree at each. The tree symbolized the sowing of life in the place where paramilitaries had sown death and destruction.
The National Movement for the Victims of State Crimes campaigns for truth, justice and comprehensive reparation for the crimes which robbed them of their loved ones. However, as in the overwhelming majority of cases of human rights violations in Colombia, there is little sign of justice being done for the victims’ families. The only person who is facing trial for the massacres is former paramilitary leader Ever Veloza Garcia, aka ‘HH’. ‘HH’ confessed to the crimes under the highly controversial ‘Justice and Peace’ law, which allows paramilitary chiefs who are responsible for some of the worst atrocities in recent human histories to be given maximum sentences of eight years in return for confessing their crimes. “Its a joke,” says Viviana, one of the group’s leaders, “that’s why paramilitaries are still killing today- because they got away with it. And they will keep getting away with it unless we do something about it. But the most important thing about today is that we know we can see that we’re not alone. That helps us in our search for justice- we’re not going to stop until we see justice done.”
Unison Northern regional convenor Clare Williams said, “Showing solidarity with groups such as the women in Triana is crucial, as many victims in Colombia continue to be in grave danger, particularly those who are organising. This is what trade union solidarity is about: supporting those who have suffered injustice, and to provide practical support to their struggle. It’s important to understand that these paramilitary massacres were not just violence for the sake of it- they had clear political motives, and were funded and supported by big business, politicians and the state. Helping the victims’ search for justice and truth can also help us to further understand the true nature of the capitalist system in which we live.”
Unison Northern has developed links with South-West Colombia over the past 3 years, supporting trade unions, women’s groups, indigenous and afro-Colombian communities and human rights defending organisations, and will continue this work with a particular focus to develop links between branches and women’s groups.
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