Today’s video: United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia

The recent focus on Colombia has centered on the diplomatic hullabaloo resulting from the death of FARC guerilla commander Raul Reyes. Today, however, thousands of protestors marched in Colombia and around the world in solidarity with victims of Colombia’s civil conflict. Much like protests on February 4^th, today’s marches were to repudiate violence and to promote peace. Yet while last month’s event placed a special emphasis on opposing the FARC, today’s actions paid special notice to those murdered and “disappeared” by paramilitary forces.

One of Colombia’s main paramilitary armies was the United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia (AUC, in Spanish). The AUC served as an umbrella for other paramilitary groups and its military modus operandi was intimidation and massacres. Despite the group’s demobilization between 2005 and 2006, the AUC has been connected to Colombia’s “para-politics” scandal. Moreover, former AUC members have been key in the formation of new paramilitary factions such as the Black Eagles.

The video below shows testimony of a peasant woman in southern Colombia whose life was turned upside down by paramilitary and guerilla violence.

(Video link):

Sources (English) –Reuters AlertNet, The Latin Americanist, tkb.org, globalsecurity.org, Wikipedia, YouTube

Sources (Spanish) – RCN, El Tiempo