VZCZCXYZ0088
PP RUEHWEB

DE RUEHBO #0902/01 0662107
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 062107Z MAR 08
FM AMEMBASSY BOGOTA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 1811
INFO RUEHBR/AMEMBASSY BRASILIA PRIORITY 8076
RUEHCV/AMEMBASSY CARACAS PRIORITY 0059
RUEHLP/AMEMBASSY LA PAZ MAR 9285
RUEHPE/AMEMBASSY LIMA PRIORITY 5984
RUEHZP/AMEMBASSY PANAMA PRIORITY 1353
RUEHQT/AMEMBASSY QUITO PRIORITY 6636
RUEHGL/AMCONSUL GUAYAQUIL PRIORITY 4321

id: 144638
date: 3/6/2008 21:07
refid: 08BOGOTA902
origin: Embassy Bogota
classification: CONFIDENTIAL
destination: 
header:
VZCZCXYZ0088
PP RUEHWEB

DE RUEHBO #0902/01 0662107
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 062107Z MAR 08
FM AMEMBASSY BOGOTA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 1811
INFO RUEHBR/AMEMBASSY BRASILIA PRIORITY 8076
RUEHCV/AMEMBASSY CARACAS PRIORITY 0059
RUEHLP/AMEMBASSY LA PAZ MAR 9285
RUEHPE/AMEMBASSY LIMA PRIORITY 5984
RUEHZP/AMEMBASSY PANAMA PRIORITY 1353
RUEHQT/AMEMBASSY QUITO PRIORITY 6636
RUEHGL/AMCONSUL GUAYAQUIL PRIORITY 4321


----------------- header ends ----------------

C O N F I D E N T I A L BOGOTA 000902 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/06/2018 
TAGS: PTER PGOV PREL ECON SOCI CO
SUBJECT: PARAMILITARY DEMOBILIZATION CREATES GREATER 
POLITICAL SPACE IN MEDIO MAGDALENA REGION, BUT SECURITY 
CHALLENGES REMAIN 
 
Classified By: Political Counselor John S. Creamer. 
Reasons: 1.4 (b) and (d). 
 
 
-------- 
SUMMARY 
-------- 
 
¶1. (C) Local civic and Catholic church leaders said the 
paramilitary demobilization and parapolitical investigations 
created new political space in the Medio Magdelena region, 
noting the triumph of reformist mayors in southern Bolivar 
department and Barrancabermeja in the October local 
elections. Still, they cautioned that the security situation 
remains in flux, with the FARC, some former paramilitaries, 
and narcotraffickers cooperating on specific drug deals and 
resisting efforts to promote economic alternatives to coca. 
Local leaders advocate a stronger GOC civilian presence in 
rural areas, especially in southern Bolivar, as well as 
better coordination between eradication and alternative 
development programs.  A local military commander conceded 
many peasants continue to view the Army with suspicion, but 
said the military is making an effort to improve relations 
with rural residents. END SUMMARY. 
 
¶2. (U) Polcouns visited Barrancabermeja in the Medio 
Magdalena (MM) region on February 13 and met with local 
military commanders, human rights and development groups, and 
union leaders. The Medio Magdalena region consists of 30,000 
square kilometers surrounding the central Magdalena river, 
and includes parts of four departments--western Northern 
Santander, western Santander, southern Bolivar, and Eastern 
Antioquia.  Medio Magdalena has 800,000 inhabitants -- 
roughly 40% of whom live in rural areas. 
 
-------------------- 
NEW POLITICAL SPACE 
-------------------- 
 
¶3. (C) Father De Roux, a Jesuit priest and head of the Peace 
and Development Program in Medio-Magdalena (PDPMM),  said the 
paramilitary demobilization--coupled with the parapolitical 
investigations--created new political space in the region, 
leading to greater participation in the October local 
elections and the defeat of many candidates affiliated with 
the former paramilitaries. He said the victories of Carlos 
Contreras and Jose Zendale in the Barrancabermeja and Santa 
Rosa del Sur mayoral races were especially significant. 
Contreras comes out of the regional peace process movement, 
and is committed to combating public corruption through 
implementation of transparent, participatory budget 
practices.  Zendale, whose campaign manager was killed a week 
after the election, campaigned against local narcotraffickers 
and corruption.  De Roux said both will need technical and 
political support to overcome an entrenched system of 
kickbacks, clientism, and narco penetration of public 
institutions. 
 
¶4. (C) Local OAS Mission in Support of the Peace Process in 
Colombia (MAPP/OAS) XXXXXXXXXXXX agreed the 
exception to the overall trend toward greater political 
openness in the MM is the  area around Puerto Berrio and 
Puerto Boyaca. Paramilitary groups established control over 
this region in the early 1980s, and their political allies 
continue to dominate local politics. Lopez said the region's 
para-affiliation is literally "written on the wall" -- a 
billboard outside the city of Puerto Boyaca proclaims it "The 
Anti-subversive Capital of Colombia."  XXXXXXXXXXXX
said the MAPP/OAS may propose that the billboard be 
removed to symbolize political change, but recognizes
that a substantial part of the local population views the 
billboard with pride. 
 
-------------------- 
SECURITY CONDITIONS 
-------------------- 
 
¶5. (C) De Roux and Lopez said MM is both a coca growing and 
transshipment route, attracting the  "big leagues" of 
organized crime such as the FARC, demobilized paramilitary 
leaders who have returned to crime such as Miguel and Victor 
Mejia ("los Mellizos"), and remnants of the Wilber Varela 
narcotrafficking group.  The result is continuing 
instability, particularly in Southern Bolivar.  Lt. Col. Ivan 
Herrera, commander of the Nueva Granada Batallion which 
 
 
operates in Bolivar, said despite their supposed ideological 
differences, the various criminal groups cooperate on 
specific drug shipments and deals.  Local peasant leader 
Miguel Daza--a strong proponent of alternative development in 
Santa Rosa del Sur in Bolivar--was murdered on February 16. 
Santa Rosa Mayor Zendale blamed the murder on a FARC alliance 
with local narcotraffickers.  De Roux said the FARC has 
declared it will tax peasants in the region even if they 
abandon coca cultivation for alternative crops. 
 
¶6. (C) XXXXXXXXXXXX the Union Sindical 
Obrero (USO) which represents petroleum workers (largely 
employees of state-owned Ecopetrol), noted some advances in 
the protection of union leaders and members.  Still, he said 
from 1989-1999, 80 USO members were killed, and 33 were 
detained on spurious criminal charges. He claimed the GOC 
continues to try to link the USO to the ELN, alleging the 
military use "false" intelligence reports to jail union 
members on rebellion charges. XXXXXXXXXXXX opposes the FTA, but 
appreciated USG efforts to tie it to strengthening union 
freedoms.  He said the unions recognize the importance of 
"internationalizing" labor issues.  XXXXXXXXXXXX added that 
Ecopetrol's outsourcing of jobs to subcontractors poses a 
major challenge to USO, as does privatization. The local USO 
affiliate has 1180 members who work for Ecopetrol in 
Barrancabermeja, plus 220 employed by subcontractors. 
 
------------------------------------------- 
COUNTERNARCOTICS IN A CHANGING ENVIRONMENT 
------------------------------------------- 
 
¶7. (C) De Roux noted the need to combine eradication efforts 
with alternative development projects for peasants.  Current 
manual and spray eradication is implemented with no effort to 
explain to peasants what comes next.  He noted that the 
Minister of Agriculture prefers large, agribusiness projects, 
when what is needed is technical assistance and credit 
programs for small producers growing cacao and African palm. 
Herrera said eradication is necessary to reduce the finances 
of illegal groups, but added that it generates recruits for 
the FARC and other criminal bands. He said the GOC's Accion 
Social is trying to strengthen local civilian institutions 
and to promote economic alternatives to coca, but added that 
the agency's efforts are in an incipient stage. Lopez noted 
that to some extent, PDPMM's development programs fill the 
gap left by GOC civilian agencies. PDPMM receives funding 
from the European Union, USAID, the GOC, and other donors. 
 
----------------------------------- 
MILITARY AND CIVILIAN RELATIONSHIP 
----------------------------------- 
 
¶8. (C) XXXXXXXXXXXX complained that security forces do not 
recognize the realities that peasants face.  In many areas, 
peasant leaders are not FARC supporters, but must deal with 
local FARC commanders to survive.  The military frequently 
believes all peasant organizations are tied to the FARC, 
leading to harassment and arrest of peaceful community 
leaders. For example, XXXXXXXXXXXX asserted that 12 leaders of the 
Peasant Association of Cimitarra Valley charged with 
rebellion, including six detained by authorities, are 
innocent.  He added that narcotraffickers' corruption of 
police and military officials in the region, especially in 
the Santa Rosa area, also remains a serious problem. Still, 
XXXXXXXXXXXX said an increased GOC military presence in the area 
is key to providing the security needed for economic and 
democratic development. 
 
¶9. (C) Herrera conceded that many peasants still view the 
Army as the "enemy."  In the past, soldiers mistreated 
peasants, engaging in petty theft and viewing them as 
"guerrillas."  These tensions are exacerbated by some human 
rights groups that exaggerate military abuses.  Still, 
Herrera said the military has mounted a major effort to 
improve relations with the local residents. He had 
participated in the UN High Commission on Human Rights' 
visits to the regions to review extrajudicial killings 
case-by-case with military commanders.  Herrera said the 
visits were positive, and helped the military to institute 
better controls to address this issue. He stressed that his 
unit makes an effort to ensure that the Prosecutor General's 
Technical Investigative Corps (CTI) investigates the scene of 
all combat deaths.  Asked about the detention of the 
Cimitarra peasant leaders, he said the military has evidence 
 
 
of their ties to the FARC, but stressed that the civilian 
justice system would determine their guilt or innocence. 
Brownfield 

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