VZCZCXYZ0007
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHBO #6536/01 2501932
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 071932Z SEP 07
FM AMEMBASSY BOGOTA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 8622
INFO RUEHBR/AMEMBASSY BRASILIA 7735
RUEHCV/AMEMBASSY CARACAS 9296
RUEHLP/AMEMBASSY LA PAZ SEP LIMA 5373
RUEHZP/AMEMBASSY PANAMA 0609
RUEHQT/AMEMBASSY QUITO 5974
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC

UNCLAS BOGOTA 006536 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PREL SOCI CO
SUBJECT: COLOMBIAN MILITARY REACHES OUT TO INDIGENOUS AND 
AFRO-COLOMBIAN COMMUNITIES 
 
REF: BOGOTA 1401 
 
¶1.   Summary: The Ministry of Defense issued directives 
instructing military and police to respect the integrity of 
indigenous and Afro-Colombians.  The directives educate 
commanders on the rights of indigenous and Afro-Colombians 
and provide guidance on how such communities should be 
treated.  Accion Integral ("AI"), the Colombian military's 
civil affairs unit, is also implementing a program to improve 
the military's relations with indigenous.  AI held seminars 
for local military commanders on indigenous issues, and is 
developing a reference book on indigenous rights, customs 
groups.  If AI's program is successful, it could be expanded 
to Afro-Colombian communities.  End Summary. 
 
--------------------------------------------- ----------- 
Minister of Defense Calls for Respect for Indigenous and 
Afro-Colombian Rights 
--------------------------------------------- ----------- 
 
¶2.  The Ministry of Defense (MOD) issued directives on 
indigenous and Afro-Colombian rights.  The directives 
strengthen the understanding of the military and police 
regarding the rights of indigenous and Afro-Colombian 
communities.  The directives cite a number of legal sources 
for such rights, including international treaties,  the 
Constitution and national laws.  The directives outline the 
nature and organizational structure of the communities. 
Minister of Defense Juan Manuel Santos signed the directives 
on October, 2006 (indigenous directive) and May, 2007 
(Afro-Colombian directive). 
 
¶3.  The directives instruct military and police forces to 
respect the integrity of indigenous and Afro-Colombian 
communities, particularly during military and police 
operations.  This includes "strictly applying" international 
human rights standards and protecting the communities from 
illegal armed groups.  Military and police forces are 
directed to coordinate with other GOC agencies to strengthen 
indigenous and Afro-Colombian communities.  They are also to 
designate points of contact between their forces and the 
communities in each region so that information, including 
complaints, can be exchanged in "mutual confidence." 
 
¶4.  Sorelly Paredes, director of the indigenous office of 
Ethnic Affairs Bureau, helped draft the indigenous directive 
and is familiar with the Afro-Colombian directive.  She said 
the directives create few new obligations for the military 
and police, and are intended to educate local military and 
police commanders about existing rights of indigenous and 
Afro-Colombians.  Many commanders are unfamiliar with 
indigenous and Afro-Colombian rights.  The directives are 
also designed to provide guidance on how such communities 
should be treated.  Paredes said the directives are helping 
educate public forces, but admitted it has been a slow 
process. 
 
¶5.  Pastor Murillo, director of the Afro-Colombian office of 
Ethnic Affairs Bureau of the Ministry of the Interior and 
Justice, worked on the Afro-Colombian directive.  A key 
provision is the requirement that public forces designate 
specific points of contact with the communities.  Murillo 
thinks this will facilitate new relationships between public 
forces and the communities.  Constanza Ussa, an 
anthropologist working with indigenous and Afro-Colombian 
groups, said many military forces, especially in rural areas, 
are not yet familiar with the directives.  Still, she agreed 
with Murillo that they will encourage the military to 
proactively reach out to communities and develop 
relationships. 
 
--------------------------------------------- -- 
Civil Affairs Unit Focuses on Indigenous Groups 
--------------------------------------------- -- 
 
¶6.  Accion Integral ("AI") is implementing a program to 
improve the military's relations with indigenous groups.  AI 
commander Captain Alberto Bejarano said AI's main goal is to 
strengthen state institutions and protect the public by 
coordinating military, political and social activities 
(reftel).  Bejarano noted many military operations take place 
in or near lands owned by indigenous communities 
("resguardos"), but few local commanders have a good grasp of 
the rights of such communities.  Colombia's 1,400,000 
 
indigenous control approximately 30 percent of the country's 
land (31 million hectares), mostly in rural areas, which 
makes them vulnerable to pressure from illegal armed groups. 
 
 
¶7.  AI's new program is intended to sensitize the military 
about indigenous rights.  An outside expert on indigenous 
issues, Fanny Romero Henao, was hired in May 2007 to develop 
the program.  Romero has held seminars for local military 
commanders and troops throughout the country.  She is also 
developing a reference book that includes information on the 
rights, customs and organizational structures of each of 
Colombia's 85 different indigenous groups.  The reference 
book will include maps with the boundaries of all resguardos 
and contact points for indigenous leaders.  The book should 
be finished by the end of the year and will be distributed to 
all military commanders. 
 
 
¶8.  Romero also started a pilot "Dialogue Table" for monthly 
meetings between the military and indigenous in the 3rd 
division (covering the southwest Pacific coast).  Bejarano 
said if the pilot proves successful it will be replicated 
throughout the country.  He added that the AI program was not 
developed in response to the indigenous directive, but it 
dovetails neatly with it.  The program could eventually be 
extended to Afro-Colombian communities as well.  Still, 
Bejarano cautioned that Afro-Colombian communal territories 
are smaller (approximately 5 million hectares) and have fewer 
military operations on or near them.  Moreover, 
Afro-Colombian communities are generally less organized than 
the indigenous, making it more difficult to coordinate 
activities with them. 
 
Brownfield