Communique to
International and Nacional Public Opinion
From the Displaced Communities of the Lower Atrato
Without Titles to the Land
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We, the displaced of the Lower Atrato, in the Municipality of Riosucio, 
provisionally quartered in the sports arena in Turbo, in the hamlet of Bocas 
del Atrato, and in the sports stadium of Quibdo', want to declare that: 

1. That on the 11 of February in Quibdo', capital city of the Departmen of 
Choco', the President, ERNESTO SAMPER PIZANO, delivered the property 
titles of 700000 hectares, through the Law 70, to the Peasant Association 
of the Middle Atrato (Asociacio'n Campesina del Medio Atrato, ACIA). 

2. That during this visit to Quibdo', no dialogue was established with the 
displaced that are located in this city, reagrdless of the petition that we 
sent him through departmental authorities. 

3. That the property titles requested by the inhabitants of the Lower Atrato 
that are in a displaced status in Quibdo', Bocas del Atrato, and Turbo have 
just began being considered.

4. That the paper work to obtain the property titles to the displaced 
communities demands more effort on the part of officials from INCORA so 
that the titles are delivered; they do not deserve delaying answers. 

5. That we are at the orders of the officers from INCORA to accompany them 
in their technical visit, but we demand the creation of a High Level 
Commision that includes members from the International Committee of the 
Red Cross, representatives of the Office of the High Commissioner of the 
United Nations, delegates from the Diocesis of Apartado' and Choco', 
officers 
from the Office of the People's Defender, and delegates from Non-
Governmental Organizations.

Therefore,

1. It is not true that the titles delivered by the President are for all of the 
population of Choco' that has reuqested them through the Law 70. 

2. It is not true that the communities displaced by the violence in the Lower 
Atrato and all over Choco' have received the titles. 

3. It is not true that we, the displaced peasants of Choco', lack the will to 
carry forward the paperwork for the property titles. 

4. It is not true that the media versions express the true position of the 
Government about the displaced by the violence and about the entitlement of 
their lands.

5. The displaced communities that suscribe this communique' demand the 
Collective Entitlement as a part of our proposal for a Dignified Return 
(Retorno Digno).


The displaced communities from the Cararica Basin, the families of 
Domingodo', Curvarado', and Vig’a de Curvarado' provisionally settled in 
Turbo 
and Bocas del Atrato; The displaced communities from Riosucio sheltered in 
the Coliseum of Quibdo'.

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Municipal Coliseum of Turbo, Febrary 22, 1998. 

In memory of our Year of Displacement
February 28, 1997 - February 28, 1998


TO THE HUMANS OF THE WORLD - #2

We invite you to be with us


We have suffered hunger, nakedness, fear, overcrowding, shame, boredom, 
poverty, inconformity, distrust, and rejection; we have also lived the hope 
of a dignified return.

A year ago, we left our lands, forced by the forces of the State. So many 
hours and minutes have not sufficed to understand what it is that 
happenedwe have not yet recuperated from that soul wound. Today, the 
government's silence is hurting us further. Today, our our strength is being 
tested by the military. They want to make believe they are our angels and 
our defenders, but it was they who kicked us out of our lands. 

Today, as we did yesterday, we want to feel your embrace, your solidarity, 
your gaze, your support in order to stand firm, to be able to sing, and to 
scream to the whole world that we are human beings, that we want a 
dignified return.

We want you to accompany us with the spiritual force of those beings like 
us who still feel we are human. Your words, your letters are important. We 
are going to march in a Procession next February 28 at 6:00 p.m. In 
attendance there will be the widows and orphans of 40 murdered husbands, 
brothers, and sons that were killed or disappeared during this year of 
displacement. Through Turbo's streets, we will walk in the silence caused 
by our deep soul pain for these 365 days of crying and anxiety. 

On the first of March, we want to dream our dignified return, that is the day 
of hope.

We these two days, we want to make remembrance of our first anniversary 
in displacement.

Although it is possible that you do not attend, we are indeed awaiting your 
letters, which are a very important moral support. 

Our black ethnic group and our embrace to other ethnic groups are menaced 
with destruction. Silence, hunger, and treachery want to tear us apart. 

We want our procession of silence and peace to be respected by the 
government and that it is not infiltrated by any armed sector. 

We want our day of hope to be respected. We want to be able to enter a 
dialogue withour pressures, with safeguards that protect our 
representatives.

We want the government not to use the media to divulge that which has not 
been accorded or that has not begun to be discussed in dialogue. 

We want the President to grant us an audience so that we can turn in to him 
our proposal of return. We also want that a month after the audience, he 
give us his written response. We want to enter ionto dialogue with the civil 
power of the government, without the interference of the armed forces.

We want a dignified return to three settlements, with the unarmed 
protection of the State; we want entitlement through the Law 70; we want 
communal development and moral reparation. 

With our dream of a dignified return, and awaiting your letters of 
solidarity, 

The displaced communities of the Cacarica basin, the families of 
Curvarado', 
Vig’a de Curvarado', and Domingodo' provisionally sheltered in Turbo and 
Bocas del Atrato.

Please respond with faxes of support to:
FAX    57  94  8274396	   and    57  91  3381511