Catholic Relief Services Responds to Increased Violence in Quibdo, Colombia

Catholic Relief Services
Friday, 10 May 2002

Catholic Relief Services (CRS) has committed an initial $20,000 to victims of the increased violence in Chocó, Colombia, in the Diocese of Quibdó, including those affected by the May 2 mortar explosion in the Church of Bellavista that killed 119 people and injured more than 100 others who were seeking refuge in the church. The funds will assist the CRS local partner in providing food, medicine, bedding, basic hygiene items, and trauma counseling for more than 2,900 people who have been displaced by the heavy fighting between paramilitaries and the leftist guerrilla group, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC).

CRS is also working with the Diocese of Quibdó to develop a comprehensive emergency response plan. CRS and partners estimate that up to 20,000 people may be displaced by continued violence between the paramilitaries and guerrillas and by an aerial bombing campaign initiated by the Colombian Armed Forces in an effort to regain control of the area.

"These events in Bellavista underscore the human tragedy unfolding in the Chocó area and the town of Quibdó where poverty, neglect and armed conflict have been increasing over the past several years," said Scott LeFevre, CRS Country Representative for Ecuador-Colombia. "CRS/Colombia is supporting the local Church's response, and we urge people in the United States to act in solidarity with the people of Chocó."

On April 21, paramilitary forces moved into the region that had been occupied by the FARC guerillas. The guerrillas responded by cutting off contact between Quibdó and surrounding communities, thereby restricting access to food, fuel and medicine for more than 45,000 community residents. Although the Diocese of Quibdó and other organizations in the area released public statements warning of the imminent violence shortly after the arrival of the paramilitaries, the Colombian government did not act to prevent the clash between the guerillas and the paramilitary forces until May 7, five days after the deadly attack on Quibdó, the largest recorded single massacre of civilians in the nearly four-decade civil war in Colombia.

In an open statement, Catholic Relief Services joined with its Colombian partners to urge all armed actors to cease their targeting of civilian populations and to respect the rights of civilians to remain in their communities in safety. The agency also called upon the Government of Colombia to focus its efforts on guaranteeing the safety of local communities and ensuring adequate access for humanitarian organizations to attend to the needs of victims and their families.

CRS has been working in Colombia since 1954, most recently through its In Solidarity with Colombia program. CRS has worked with the Diocese of Quibdó and local grassroots organizations since 1999 to assist displaced and returning Afro-Colombian, indigenous, and mestizo communities to guarantee food security, promote community organization, provide access to health services and legal assistance, and to encourage economic recovery.

For more information, or to contact Catholic Relief Services, see their website at: www.catholicrelief.org