Disarmed Colombian
Paramilitaries Protest
Against Government
Negligence
At least 250 former
combatants occupied
Bogota's cathedral on
Wednesday, demanding
international
organizations address
their dire situation
that is being neglected
by the Colombian
government.
The protesters, who were
disarmed under a deal
struck with the
government, entered the
cathedral, dispersed the
congregation and claimed
they would not leave
until international
delegates were informed
of the government's
negligence of them.
"We demand international
organizations send
delegates to listen to
our voices," said one of
the protesters.
Colombian President
Alvaro Uribe signed a
demobilizing deal with
the ultra-rightist
paramilitary group the
United Self-Defense of
Colombia (AUC), created
to combat guerillas. The
group was disarmed in
April 2006 and its
members were scheduled
to enter a
re-socialization
program.
According to the
protesters, they have
been living in extreme
poverty since the
disarmament, forcing
some of the former
fighters to take up
criminal activities,
including drug
trafficking.
According to official
sources, 47,000
combatants have been
demobilized in the last
five years, and among
them 860 have been
murdered and 3,000 have
not followed the
program's rules.
|
|
