The Peace Community of San José de Apartadó in Colombia's northwestern Antioquia department reported on Oct. 31 that right-wing paramilitaries were threatening to murder community members. A joint operation of paramilitaries and the army's 17th Brigade murdered eight people in San José de Apartado on Feb. 21, 2005; retired colonel Guillermo Armando Gordillo confessed this year that his troops participated in the massacre. Peace communities refuse to collaborate with any armed forces, including rebels, paramilitaries and the army.

According to the peace community, paramilitaries stopped three people on Oct. 30 and told them that residents of La Esperanza settlement, part of the peace community, had to leave if they wanted to avoid being massacred; the paramilitaries said they had a list of six people they were going to murder. Similar threats preceded the 2005 massacre, and the military has been pressuring the community recently. On Oct. 28 and 29 army troops spent the day in homes and the school in La Esperanza, keeping children from attending classes; when asked to leave, they called the community a "nest of guerrillas." Soldiers have also photographed residents and conducted an illegal census.

The US-based Colombia Support Network (CSN) is urging people to contact US Congress
members, US embassy attache Scott Fagan (FaganSR@state.gov), Colombian defense minister Dr. Juan Manuel Santos (siden@mindefensa.gov.co, infprotocol@mindefensa.gov.co and mdn@cable.net.co), and others to demand a stop to the planned massacre and respect for the rights of civilians. (Agencia Bolivariana de Prensa, Nov. 2 from Comunidad de Paz de San José de Apartadó communique, Oct. 31; CSN urgent action, Oct. 31; World War 4 Report, Aug. 2)

From Weekly News Update on the Americas, Nov. 2

See our last post on Colombia, citizen peace initiatives and the struggle in Urabá.