URGENT ACTION REQUEST
29 September 2006
COLOMBIA: Pressure Colombian Government to Meet With Miners

BACKGROUND

On September 19th Alejandro Uribe, a community leader and father of
two young children, was killed by members of the Nueva Granada
Batallion while heading home from a community meeting in a neighboring
village. The assassination of Alejandro is the latest of a series of
threats, robberies, blockades, detentions and assassinations at the
hands of the Colombian army. The communities in the mining region are
convinced that this campaign of terror is aimed at forcing them off
their land so it can be turned over to the mining company Kedahda, an
affiliate of the multinational Anglo Gold Ashanti.

On September 22nd farmers, miners, and their families from the Sur de
Bolivar region of Colombia began converging on the regional center of
government, Santa Rosa del Sur, to demand justice and the right to
live safely in their own communities. Hoping for dialogue, the
communities agreed to a meeting with national civilian authorities on
Tuesday, September 26, in Santa Rosa. When the government
representatives arrived, they refused to accept the previous condition
set by the communities that no military be present at the table. The
dialogue did not take place.

The communities have vowed to stay mobilized in Santa Rosa until they
meet with national civilian authorities. We are requesting your help
to put pressure on the Colombian government to arrange a meeting
between the mining communities and national civilian authorities to
discuss the situation in the Sur de Bolivar mining region.

SAMPLE LETTER

Dear Doctor Franco,

I am concerned about the situation in the mining region of the Sur de
Bolivar where the civilian population is reporting that members of the
5th Brigade of the Colombian army are responsible for assassinations,
blockades, robberies, threats, and intimidation. I am particularly
concerned about the recent death of community leader Alejandro Uribe,
which has led to the mobilization of more than a thousand residents to
the town of Santa Rosa del Sur. Residents have mobilized in order to
demand justice and the right to live safely in their own communities.

The community members are requesting a meeting with national civilian
authorities, those responsible for the actions of the military in a
democratic society. I request that you immediately take steps to
resolve the situation and honor their request to dialogue with
civilian authorities without the presence of the military.

Sincerely,
Your Name and Address


LETTER SHOULD BE FAXED OR E-MAILED TO:

Dr. Carlos Franco
Programa Presidencial de Derechos Humanos y de
Derecho Internacional Humanitario
FAX: (571) 566- 2064, E- mail: cefranco@...

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MISSION STATEMENT: Christian Peacemaker Teams (CPT) Colombia is a
community made up of trained volunteers from different cultures that
forms part of the international, ecumenical organization, CPT. Our
work is based in, though not limited to, the Middle Magdelena region
of Colombia. We work together on grassroots initiatives to expose and
transform structures of domination and oppression through active
nonviolence in order to make possible a world grounded in respect,
justice and love, even of enemies.