Senate debate on the 2004 foreign aid bill could take
place within the next week. Included in the bill is $500 million in
aid - largely military and police aid - to Colombia. However, the
Senate appears set to approve the Colombia aid portion of the bill
with no debate. More than $2.5 billion in taxpayer dollars has gone
to Colombia in the last three years, and there is no indication that
the broad and vague goals of Plan Colombia have been met. Drugs are
just as available on U.S. streets. Nineteen civilians are killed
each day in the crossfire of violence between the paramilitaries,
guerilla groups and the Colombian armed forces, up from 12 per day
three years ago. The fumigation policy aimed at destroying the coca
fields has displaced farmers and left them with no economic
alternative, while simply moving coca production to other countries
in the region.
Action: Contact your senators and ask them why they are not
talking about Colombia policy. Express your concerns about the
policy of continued military funding for Colombia.
To send a letter to your senator log on to:
www.ucctakeaction.org/action/index.asp?step=2&item=5083
Background: The Senate has not held debate on Colombia policy
for two years, despite the fact that the stated goals for Colombia
policy have not been met. Clearly, there are serious questions and
concerns to be addressed.
When the Senate passed Plan Colombia in 2000, the stated goal was to
curb drug production. Last year, the U.S. mission in Colombia was
expanded to include counter-insurgency efforts. Already, more than
$2.5 billion in U.S. taxpayer dollars has gone to Colombia, with few
tangible results. In fact, the situation in Colombia has in many
cases gotten worse. According to the U.S. Office of National Drug
Control Policy, drugs are just as available on U.S. streets as they
were three years ago.
Funding the Colombian armed forces, which have been linked to the
actions of brutal paramilitary groups, has only accelerated the armed
conflict in Colombia. In 2000, 12 civilians a day died as a result
of Colombia's internal conflict. This year, the number has risen to
19 per day. As paramilitaries, guerilla groups and the Colombian
armed forces escalate the conflict, innocent civilians continue to be
caught in the crossfire. According to the U.S. State Department, the
Colombian armed forces still collaborate with paramilitary groups who
murder civilians, are involved in drug trafficking and are on the
U.S. list of terrorist organizations.
Efforts to fumigate drug-producing crops have displaced small farmers
and destroyed food crops as well. There is no alternative
development assistance to provide other means of survival. Water
sources are contaminated, and people go hungry. The fumigation is
causing widespread damage to the environment in the Colombian
rainforest that will impact many generations to come. In addition,
coca production has simply moved to other parts of the region, such
as Bolivia and Peru.
Members of the United Church of Christ have participated in numerous
delegations to Colombia, and have seen the devastation of the
continuing violence firsthand. Over and over again, they are told by
civilians that U.S. military aid has not relieved their suffering -
indeed, in many cases, it has contributed to the violence. In 2001,
the UCC General Synod 23 passed a resolution on Colombia, which calls
members to urge policymakers to stop all further military aid to
Colombia, and support a negotiated peace process which includes all
sectors; to reallocate funds previously spent on military aid to be
used strictly for humanitarian purposes; to stop any further aerial
fumigation of coca crops and instead support manual eradication,
along with subsidizing alternate crop production; and to provide
adequate funding for drug consumption prevention and treatment on
request for addicts in the U.S. to reduce overall demand...."
This summer, the 24th UCC General Synod raised renewed concern abut
attacks on Colombian Church leaders, noting, "...during the first
seven months of 2002 at least 20 Protestant pastors and church
leaders were assassinated and more than 400 churches were closed."
