REPORT ON SAN JOSE DE APARTADO

By Carlos Alberto Giraldo

(Translated by Colombia Support Network)

        Seeking to recognize community life and to strengthen ties  of
citizen unity and not to let the members to become involved in
military actions, or espionage and support for the armed actors, and
also to give value to their constitutional rights, the inhabitants
of 28 small settlements and the center town of San Jose de Apartado
declared themselves Communities of Peace. Through the support of
representatives of the Pax Christi Foundation and the Parliament of
Holland, and also of NGO's and of the Church, these Uraba residents
made official a process begun months ago to put themselves  safe
from the crossfire of those making war and to consolidate permanent
work for integration and citizen action for peace.

Since the paramilitary, guerrilla and army actions grew greatly
from the last quarter of 1996 on, with lamentable results for
civilians at the margin of the conflict, especially peasants, the
people living in these places decided to develop a broad program
which goes from absolute neutrality as to the bands confronting
each other to a call to create a Special Mixed Commission of
Observation for any violation of their commitments and rights on
the part of the armed groups.

Among the varied commitments and rights which this declaration
reaffirms, the inhabitants of San Jose de Apartado repeat to those
involved in the war that in spite of the hostilities. those who 
while hey are in this zone do not carry out military activities
will be protected, without any distinction, as will those who while
staying for a short time in the area are covered by the statute of
protection of the civilian population.

At the same time the residents of the Communities of Peace will not
carry out any activity which has a direct or indirect relationship
to the military operations of the bands in conflict or with
tactical or strategic support of them.

Based upon the foregoing, the people will have as norm and
guideline :

- Not to bear or have arms, munitions or explosive materials.

- Not to provide logistical support to the bands in confrontation.

-Not to produce, provide or manipulate information for the sides of
the conflict.

- Not to turn to any of the actors in the war to solve personal,
family or community problems.

-The Communities of Peace will be clearly identified with flags,
billboards or other signs with a white background and a red circle,
which will also be reflective and identifiable at great distance.

-They will obey the recommendations and observations of an Internal
Council of Verification composed of 4 citizens delegates elected
according to the adopted rules, 2 representatives of national NGO's
and 1 delegate of the Diocese of Apartado.

The communities seek stable peace, through their participation and
recovery of the spaces of a civil and communal nature. They seek,
even against the pressure and intimidation of the armed groups, to
give value to their rights and their autonomy as citizens and
Colombians, says Father Leonidas Moreno, coordinator of the 
Commission Life, Justice and Peace of the Diocese of Apartado. "This
commitment to non-violence, although individual and from the heart
- from the interior being - has a good collective responsibility
and respect because it springs from the desire to reestablish
communal values which are lost in the midst of the distrust and
disunity which war, terror and death generate".

With the Communities of Peace the residents of rural areas and the
central area of San Jose de Apartado wish to consolidate a civilian
integration so strong that it will permit them to neither depend
upon nor require any actor or armed medium to resolve their own
difficulties in their search for peace and well-being. "We must end
this vacuum of good will and progress which the arms have left".
Father Leonidas Moreno insists that "we are going to seek by all
peaceful means, to have people reject the armed actors and their
violent mechanisms of action, and to put in practice their
creativity and their organization so that civilians will not end up
absorbed by the war".

In this way they will balance those actors who through associations
of security misnamed Convivir and Cooperatives, because they
denaturalize those concepts which allude to peace and solidarity -
which enmesh civilians in the armed conflict and bring the country
closer and closer to a generalized war, analyze those who have
initiated the Community of Peace.