

Currently released so far... 12900 / 251,287
Browse latest releases
2010/12/01
2010/12/02
2010/12/03
2010/12/04
2010/12/05
2010/12/06
2010/12/07
2010/12/08
2010/12/09
2010/12/10
2010/12/11
2010/12/12
2010/12/13
2010/12/14
2010/12/15
2010/12/16
2010/12/17
2010/12/18
2010/12/19
2010/12/20
2010/12/21
2010/12/22
2010/12/23
2010/12/24
2010/12/25
2010/12/26
2010/12/27
2010/12/28
2010/12/29
2010/12/30
2011/01/01
2011/01/02
2011/01/04
2011/01/05
2011/01/07
2011/01/09
2011/01/10
2011/01/11
2011/01/12
2011/01/13
2011/01/14
2011/01/15
2011/01/16
2011/01/17
2011/01/18
2011/01/19
2011/01/20
2011/01/21
2011/01/22
2011/01/23
2011/01/24
2011/01/25
2011/01/26
2011/01/27
2011/01/28
2011/01/29
2011/01/30
2011/01/31
2011/02/01
2011/02/02
2011/02/03
2011/02/04
2011/02/05
2011/02/06
2011/02/07
2011/02/08
2011/02/09
2011/02/10
2011/02/11
2011/02/12
2011/02/13
2011/02/14
2011/02/15
2011/02/16
2011/02/17
2011/02/18
2011/02/19
2011/02/20
2011/02/21
2011/02/22
2011/02/23
2011/02/24
2011/02/25
2011/02/26
2011/02/27
2011/02/28
2011/03/01
2011/03/02
2011/03/03
2011/03/04
2011/03/05
2011/03/06
2011/03/07
2011/03/08
2011/03/09
2011/03/10
2011/03/11
2011/03/13
2011/03/14
2011/03/15
2011/03/16
2011/03/17
2011/03/18
2011/03/19
2011/03/20
2011/03/21
2011/03/22
2011/03/23
2011/03/24
2011/03/25
2011/03/26
2011/03/27
2011/03/28
2011/03/29
2011/03/30
2011/03/31
2011/04/01
2011/04/02
2011/04/03
2011/04/04
2011/04/05
2011/04/06
2011/04/07
2011/04/08
2011/04/09
2011/04/10
2011/04/11
2011/04/12
2011/04/13
2011/04/14
2011/04/15
2011/04/16
2011/04/17
2011/04/18
2011/04/19
2011/04/20
2011/04/21
2011/04/22
2011/04/23
2011/04/24
2011/04/25
2011/04/26
2011/04/27
2011/04/28
2011/04/29
2011/04/30
2011/05/01
2011/05/02
2011/05/03
2011/05/04
2011/05/05
2011/05/06
2011/05/07
2011/05/08
2011/05/09
2011/05/10
2011/05/11
2011/05/12
2011/05/13
2011/05/14
2011/05/15
2011/05/16
2011/05/17
2011/05/18
2011/05/19
2011/05/20
2011/05/21
2011/05/22
2011/05/23
2011/05/24
Browse by creation date
Browse by origin
Embassy Athens
Embassy Asuncion
Embassy Astana
Embassy Asmara
Embassy Ashgabat
Embassy Apia
Embassy Ankara
Embassy Amman
Embassy Algiers
Embassy Addis Ababa
Embassy Accra
Embassy Abuja
Embassy Abu Dhabi
Embassy Abidjan
Consulate Auckland
Consulate Amsterdam
Consulate Adana
American Institute Taiwan, Taipei
Embassy Bujumbura
Embassy Buenos Aires
Embassy Budapest
Embassy Bucharest
Embassy Brussels
Embassy Bridgetown
Embassy Bratislava
Embassy Brasilia
Embassy Bogota
Embassy Bishkek
Embassy Bern
Embassy Berlin
Embassy Belmopan
Embassy Belgrade
Embassy Beirut
Embassy Beijing
Embassy Banjul
Embassy Bangkok
Embassy Bandar Seri Begawan
Embassy Bamako
Embassy Baku
Embassy Baghdad
Consulate Barcelona
Embassy Copenhagen
Embassy Conakry
Embassy Colombo
Embassy Chisinau
Embassy Caracas
Embassy Canberra
Embassy Cairo
Consulate Curacao
Consulate Ciudad Juarez
Consulate Chennai
Consulate Casablanca
Consulate Cape Town
Consulate Calgary
Embassy Dushanbe
Embassy Dublin
Embassy Doha
Embassy Djibouti
Embassy Dili
Embassy Dhaka
Embassy Dar Es Salaam
Embassy Damascus
Embassy Dakar
Consulate Dubai
Embassy Helsinki
Embassy Harare
Embassy Hanoi
Consulate Ho Chi Minh City
Consulate Hermosillo
Consulate Hamilton
Consulate Hamburg
Consulate Halifax
Embassy Kyiv
Embassy Kuwait
Embassy Kuala Lumpur
Embassy Kinshasa
Embassy Kingston
Embassy Kigali
Embassy Khartoum
Embassy Kathmandu
Embassy Kampala
Embassy Kabul
Consulate Kolkata
Consulate Karachi
Embassy Luxembourg
Embassy Luanda
Embassy London
Embassy Ljubljana
Embassy Lisbon
Embassy Lima
Embassy Lilongwe
Embassy La Paz
Consulate Lahore
Consulate Lagos
Mission USOSCE
Mission USNATO
Mission UNESCO
Embassy Muscat
Embassy Moscow
Embassy Montevideo
Embassy Monrovia
Embassy Minsk
Embassy Mexico
Embassy Mbabane
Embassy Maputo
Embassy Manila
Embassy Manama
Embassy Managua
Embassy Malabo
Embassy Madrid
Consulate Munich
Consulate Mumbai
Consulate Montreal
Consulate Monterrey
Consulate Milan
Consulate Melbourne
Embassy Nicosia
Embassy Niamey
Embassy New Delhi
Embassy Ndjamena
Embassy Nassau
Embassy Nairobi
Consulate Naples
Consulate Naha
Embassy Pristina
Embassy Pretoria
Embassy Prague
Embassy Port Of Spain
Embassy Port Louis
Embassy Port Au Prince
Embassy Phnom Penh
Embassy Paris
Embassy Paramaribo
Embassy Panama
Consulate Peshawar
REO Basrah
Embassy Rome
Embassy Riyadh
Embassy Riga
Embassy Reykjavik
Embassy Rangoon
Embassy Rabat
Consulate Rio De Janeiro
Consulate Recife
Secretary of State
Embassy Suva
Embassy Stockholm
Embassy Sofia
Embassy Skopje
Embassy Singapore
Embassy Seoul
Embassy Sarajevo
Embassy Santo Domingo
Embassy Santiago
Embassy Sanaa
Embassy San Salvador
Embassy San Jose
Consulate Strasbourg
Consulate St Petersburg
Consulate Shenyang
Consulate Shanghai
Consulate Sapporo
Consulate Sao Paulo
Embassy Tunis
Embassy Tripoli
Embassy Tokyo
Embassy The Hague
Embassy Tel Aviv
Embassy Tehran
Embassy Tegucigalpa
Embassy Tbilisi
Embassy Tashkent
Embassy Tallinn
Consulate Toronto
Consulate Tijuana
USUN New York
USEU Brussels
US Office Almaty
US Mission Geneva
US Interests Section Havana
US Delegation, Secretary
UNVIE
Embassy Ulaanbaatar
Embassy Vilnius
Embassy Vienna
Embassy Vatican
Embassy Valletta
Consulate Vladivostok
Consulate Vancouver
Browse by tag
AE
ASEC
AS
AR
AMGT
AFIN
AORC
AU
AG
AF
APER
ABLD
ADCO
ABUD
AM
AID
AJ
AEMR
AMED
AL
ASUP
AN
AIT
ACOA
ANET
ASIG
AA
AGMT
AINF
AFFAIRS
ADANA
AY
AADP
ARF
ACS
AGR
AMCHAMS
AECL
AUC
APEC
APECO
AFGHANISTAN
ACAO
ASEAN
ADM
AGAO
AND
ADPM
ATRN
ALOW
AROC
APCS
AORG
AO
AODE
ACABQ
AX
AMEX
AZ
ARM
AQ
ATFN
AMBASSADOR
ACBAQ
AFSI
AFSN
AC
ASEX
AER
AVERY
AGRICULTURE
ASCH
AFU
AMG
ATPDEA
ASECKFRDCVISKIRFPHUMSMIGEG
AORL
BR
BO
BA
BM
BL
BH
BK
BEXP
BILAT
BTIO
BF
BU
BD
BY
BE
BG
BB
BBSR
BT
BRUSSELS
BP
BX
BC
BIDEN
BMGT
BWC
BN
BTIU
CA
CS
CO
CD
CR
CPAS
CDG
CI
CDC
CBW
CU
CVIS
CE
CONS
CH
CMGT
CASC
CY
CW
CG
CJAN
CIDA
CODEL
CWC
CIA
CBSA
CEUDA
CFED
CLINTON
CAC
CL
CACS
CIC
CHR
CAPC
CM
CT
CTR
COM
CROS
CN
COPUOS
CV
CF
CARSON
CONDOLEEZZA
CICTE
CYPRUS
COUNTER
COUNTRY
CBE
CKGR
CVR
COUNTERTERRORISM
CITEL
CLEARANCE
COE
CARICOM
CB
CSW
CITT
CACM
CDB
CJUS
CTM
CAN
CLMT
CBC
CNARC
CIS
EFIN
ECON
ETRD
EAID
EC
EU
EUN
EINV
EG
ETTC
EIND
ELAB
EAGR
ECIN
EINT
ENRG
EFIS
ELTN
EAIR
EPET
EZ
ET
ENERG
ECPS
EWWT
EI
ETRN
EINVECONSENVCSJA
EEPET
EUNCH
ER
ES
EN
EMIN
ESENV
ENNP
ENGR
ETRDEINVECINPGOVCS
ENVI
ECINECONCS
ELN
EFTA
ELECTIONS
ENVR
EXTERNAL
ENIV
ESA
EPA
ETRO
ETRDECONWTOCS
EUR
ECUN
EXIM
EK
EUREM
ECONOMY
EUMEM
ERNG
EFINECONCS
EAIDS
ECA
ETRC
EINVEFIN
ETC
EAP
EINN
ECONOMIC
EXBS
ENGY
ECONOMICS
EIAR
EINDETRD
ECONEFIN
EURN
EDU
ETRDEINVTINTCS
ECIP
EFIM
EREL
EINVETC
ECONCS
ETRA
EAIG
EUC
ERD
IQ
IR
IS
IN
IA
IC
IZ
ICRC
ID
IDA
IT
IO
IAEA
ICJ
ICAO
IV
IBRD
IMF
IAHRC
IWC
ILO
ISLAMISTS
IGAD
ILC
ITU
ITF
INRA
INRO
ICTY
INRB
ITALY
IBET
IL
INTELSAT
ISRAELI
IMO
IDP
ICTR
ITRA
IRC
IRAQI
IEFIN
IPR
IIP
INMARSAT
ITPGOV
ITALIAN
INTERNAL
IRS
INTERPOL
IEA
INR
ISRAEL
IZPREL
IRAJ
IF
ITPHUM
IACI
INDO
KPAO
KMDR
KCOR
KNNP
KJUS
KCRM
KDEM
KVPR
KTFN
KPRP
KTIP
KSCA
KSUM
KTEX
KIDE
KIRF
KV
KTIA
KN
KG
KFRD
KWMN
KUNR
KISL
KU
KGHG
KPKO
KOMS
KPAL
KIPR
KMCA
KOMC
KRVC
KSEP
KAWC
KOLY
KWBG
KACT
KFLO
KHIV
KZ
KGIC
KBCT
KDRG
KBTR
KCFE
KE
KHLS
KMPI
KAWK
KPWR
KIRC
KRAD
KFRDCVISCMGTCASCKOCIASECPHUMSMIGEG
KFLU
KPLS
KRIM
KSTH
KDDG
KPRV
KICC
KS
KSAF
KBIO
KREC
KCGC
KCIP
KTDB
KWAC
KPAI
KFRDKIRFCVISCMGTKOCIASECPHUMSMIGEG
KFSC
KSTC
KMFO
KID
KNAR
KMIG
KVRP
KNEI
KGIT
KNSD
KHDP
KSAC
KWMM
KR
KCOM
KAID
KENV
KVIR
KHSA
KO
KCRS
KPOA
KTER
KFIN
KSPR
KTBT
KX
KCMR
KMOC
KCRCM
KBTS
KSEO
KOCI
KNUP
KPAONZ
KNUC
KNNPMNUC
KERG
KSCI
KTLA
KCSY
KTRD
KMRS
KNPP
KJUST
KRCM
KCFC
KCHG
KREL
KFTFN
KLIG
KDEMAF
KGCC
KICA
KHUM
KSEC
KPIN
KESS
KDEV
KPIR
KWWMN
KOM
KWNM
KRFD
KRGY
KIFR
KWMNCS
KPAK
MARR
MOPS
MUCN
MCAP
MNUC
MEPP
MTCRE
MASS
MO
MIL
MX
MAS
MEDIA
MAR
MI
MQADHAFI
MPOS
MTCR
MK
MG
MA
MY
MU
ML
MPS
MW
MD
MARAD
MC
MR
MT
MTRE
MASC
MRCRE
MAPP
MZ
MP
MOPPS
MTS
MLS
MILI
MEPN
MEPI
MEETINGS
MERCOSUR
MCC
MIK
MAPS
MV
MILITARY
MDC
MASSMNUC
NI
NZ
NL
NO
NPT
NATO
NS
NU
NP
NPA
NSFO
NDP
NT
NW
NASA
NSG
NE
NORAD
NAFTA
NG
NATIONAL
NSSP
NV
NSF
NK
NA
NEW
NPG
NR
NGO
NIPP
NZUS
NH
NC
NRR
NAR
NATOPREL
NSC
OIIP
OPRC
OTRA
OEXC
OREP
OSCE
OVIP
OPAD
OBSP
OECD
OFFICIALS
OAS
OPDC
ODIP
OPCW
OES
OFDP
OPIC
OCS
OIC
OHUM
OSCI
OVP
ODC
OIE
OTR
OMIG
OSAC
OFDA
ON
OCII
PREL
PINR
PGOV
PARM
PE
PTER
PHUM
PO
PINS
PREF
PK
PM
POL
PBTS
PNAT
PHSA
PAS
PA
PL
PGIV
PHUMPREL
POGOV
PAK
PEL
PROP
PP
PINL
PBT
PTBS
PG
PINF
PRL
PALESTINIAN
PSEPC
POSTS
PAHO
PHUMPGOV
PGOC
PNR
PREFA
PMIL
POLITICS
POLICY
PROV
PBIO
PREO
PAO
PDOV
PGOF
POV
PCI
PRAM
PSI
POLITICAL
PAIGH
PJUS
PARMS
PROG
PTERE
PRGOV
PORG
PS
PKFK
PSOE
PEPR
PPA
PINT
PMAR
PRELP
PNG
PFOR
PUNE
PGOVLO
PHUMBA
POLINT
PGOVE
PHALANAGE
PARTY
PDEM
PECON
PY
PLN
PHUH
PF
PHUS
PU
PARTIES
PCUL
PGGV
PSA
PGOVSMIGKCRMKWMNPHUMCVISKFRDCA
RU
RS
REGION
REACTION
REPORT
RO
RW
RCMP
RSO
RP
RM
ROOD
RFE
RICE
ROBERT
RSP
RF
RELATIONS
RIGHTS
RIGHTSPOLMIL
RUPREL
SENV
SY
SNAR
SCUL
SP
SF
SW
SOCI
SU
SMIG
SO
SA
SR
SZ
SI
SC
SEVN
SN
STEINBERG
SK
SH
SNARCS
SPCE
SARS
SNARN
SG
SL
SYRIA
SIPRS
SAARC
SNARIZ
SWE
SYR
SEN
SCRS
SAN
ST
SIPDIS
SSA
SPCVIS
SOFA
SENVKGHG
SANC
SHI
SHUM
TU
TSPA
TBIO
TS
TRGY
TINT
TPHY
TN
TW
TH
TZ
TSPL
TP
TBID
TI
TF
TD
TT
TNGD
TL
TC
THPY
TIP
TX
TV
TK
TERRORISM
TO
TRSY
TURKEY
TFIN
TAGS
TR
UK
UNSC
UNGA
UNESCO
UNHRC
UP
UN
USTR
US
UNDC
UY
UNICEF
UNDP
UNMIK
UNAUS
UNCHC
UNCSD
USOAS
UNFCYP
UG
UNIDROIT
UNO
UV
UNHCR
UNEP
USEU
UZ
UNCND
USUN
UNCHR
USNC
USPS
USAID
UE
UNVIE
UAE
UNODC
UNCHS
UNFICYP
UNDESCO
UNC
UNPUOS
Browse by classification
Community resources
courage is contagious
Viewing cable 07BOGOTA32, STRUGGLE OVER LAND CONTINUES TO FUEL COLOMBIAN
If you are new to these pages, please read an introduction on the structure of a cable as well as how to discuss them with others. See also the FAQs
Understanding cables
Every cable message consists of three parts:
- The top box shows each cables unique reference number, when and by whom it originally was sent, and what its initial classification was.
- The middle box contains the header information that is associated with the cable. It includes information about the receiver(s) as well as a general subject.
- The bottom box presents the body of the cable. The opening can contain a more specific subject, references to other cables (browse by origin to find them) or additional comment. This is followed by the main contents of the cable: a summary, a collection of specific topics and a comment section.
Discussing cables
If you find meaningful or important information in a cable, please link directly to its unique reference number. Linking to a specific paragraph in the body of a cable is also possible by copying the appropriate link (to be found at theparagraph symbol). Please mark messages for social networking services like Twitter with the hash tags #cablegate and a hash containing the reference ID e.g. #07BOGOTA32.
Reference ID | Created | Released | Classification | Origin |
---|---|---|---|---|
07BOGOTA32 | 2007-01-04 18:47 | 2011-04-03 12:30 | CONFIDENTIAL | Embassy Bogota |
Appears in these articles: http://www.elespectador.com/wikileaks |
VZCZCXYZ0007
RR RUEHWEB
DE RUEHBO #0032/01 0041847
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
R 041847Z JAN 07
FM AMEMBASSY BOGOTA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 1687
INFO RUEHBR/AMEMBASSY BRASILIA 7334
RUEHCV/AMEMBASSY CARACAS 8552
RUEHLP/AMEMBASSY LA PAZ JAN LIMA 4620
RUEHZP/AMEMBASSY PANAMA 9860
RUEHQT/AMEMBASSY QUITO 5277
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC
C O N F I D E N T I A L BOGOTA 000032
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/04/2017
TAGS: PTER PGOV PREL ECON CO
SUBJECT: STRUGGLE OVER LAND CONTINUES TO FUEL COLOMBIAN
CONFLICT
REF: BOGOTA 8793
Classified By: Political Counselor John S. Creamer.
Reason: 1.4 (b,d)
-------
Summary
-------
¶1. (U) Rural land development is a source of conflict in
Colombia; repeated land reform efforts have been
unsuccessful. A proposed new law aimed at facilitating rural
development and promoting land distribution has led to
complaints by human rights groups that it could legalize
illegal land seizures by paramilitary and other illegal armed
groups. Some studies estimate that paramilitary and
narcotics traffickers may control at least 10 per cent of
Colombia's land. End Summary
--------------------------
Centuries of Land Conflict
--------------------------
¶2. (U) Armed conflict and land disputes are historically
intertwined in Colombia. Jesuit academic Father Fernan
Gonzalez explains that Colombia did not follow the common
latifundia pattern in which enormous colonial land grants
were later distributed to peasants through agrarian reforms.
Rather, Colombia's peasants colonized frontier areas and
developed unclaimed land. As their land acquired value,
rural elites would use political power and violence to seize
it. This forced campesinos to move to more remote areas
where the cycle would continue. Gonzalez said two factors
explain why this pattern has continued for decades: large
areas without strong state presence and the absence of
serious agrarian reform that provided campesinos with clear
land title. Despite the increasingly urbanized nature of
Colombia society, Gonzalez said the land issue remains key
since almost 15 million Colombians continue to live in rural
areas.
---------------
Failed Policies
---------------
¶3. (U) Colombia's land reform efforts over the past forty
years have had little success. The Instituto Nacional
Colombiano de la Reforma Agraria (INCORA) isthemost
ambitious program to date. INCORA's goal is to promote
reform, largely through subsidizing the sale of land by
wealthy landowners to cooperatives. The cooperatives are
supposed to develop the land and increase productivity. The
World Bank and USAID criticize the program because: (1)
projects are generally chosen without legally required
technical and economic analyses, (2) the program has not
implemented an efficient process for developing resettlement
projects, (3) the program distorts land values because owners
factor the subsidy into their asking price, and (4) if
cooperatives cannot productively use land, legal restrictions
placed on program beneficiaries make it very difficult for
them to resell it.
------------------------------------
A New Proposal with Problems
------------------------------------
¶4. (C) The GOC is considering a new, comprehensive, rural
development law. Luis Orozco, deputy director for social
issues of Colombia's land titling agency, the Instituto
Colombiano de Desarrollo Rural ("INCODER"), told us the bill
would harmonize a large number of existing laws, accelerate
distribution of land to disadvantaged groups, and encourage
productive land use. He said it would also help integrate
Colombia's rural economy into the global economy. The
proposal passed two Senate readings in 2006. Two House
readings, which are not expected until mid-2007, are required
before it would become law.
¶5. (C) The bill would also increase INCODER's power at
INCORA's expense by giving it a monopoly on developing,
approving, and implementing resettlement projects. INCODER
contends these enhanced powers would enable it to more
effectively promote rural development. Critics argue this is
politically problematic, because INCODER is widely accused of
corruption. Its officials are reportedly involved in
land-for-votes schemes, and the media recently linked Luis
Ortiz, INCODER's former director, to paramilitaries. Human
rights groups and many rural residents claim the organization
works with paramilitaries to facilitate land seizures, but we
cannot substantiate or disprove these charges. Ministry of
Agriculture counselor Lorena Garnica, who helped draft the
bill, told us it would reduce the possibility of corruption
by making INCODER more transparent and clarifying its
responsibilities.
¶6. (C) The bill's most controversial provision, which would
have made it easier to acquire legal ownership through
"adverse possession," was deleted in the Senate after heated
debate. Orozco, Garnica, and bill sponsor Senator Manuel
Guillermo Mora told us the provision's purpose was to help
disadvantaged groups obtain title to land they already
occupy. In contrast, the left wing Polo Democratico party
and human rights groups such as the Colombian Commission of
Jurists claimed the provision would help paramilitaries
legalize land seizures and forced "purchases" from indigenous
and Afro-Colombian groups. Garnica said opposition to the
provision was politically motivated. She explained that
existing law already permits adverse possession in the same
circumstances, and that land reserves for indigenous and
Afro-Colombian groups are constitutionally protected from
adverse possession. Moreover, indigenous and Afro-Colombian
lands cannot legally be sold. Still, the Polo party was
successful in having the provision dropped during the second
Senate reading.
¶7. (C) Other provisions of the bill were also removed. For
example, it was supposed to facilitate INCODER's capacity to
fast-track reallocation of confiscated narco-properties to
campesinos. While the government can already do this, the
authority is not extensively used because the current law is
complex, time consuming, and makes government officials
personally liable if courts later overturn confiscations.
The bill would have made confiscation and reallocation more
efficient. This provision was stricken by the Senate,
apparently at the request of INCODER, to minimize potential
liability for itself and employees.
----------------------------------
Illegal Armed Groups and Narcotics
----------------------------------
¶8. (U) The World Bank reported that Colombia's land
inequality sharply increased in the past 20 years. This is
mainly due to large narco-purchases and forced "sales" to
illegal armed groups. A 2005 analysis by the UNDP reports
that there are 4 to 5 million hectares of "narco-landholding"
spread throughout Colombia that could be subject to
confiscation. This constitutes between 4 and 5 per cent of
Colombia's total land area. There has been widespread
criticism that the government has confiscated only a minute
fraction of the land it could: over the past fifteen years,
less than 150,000 hectares have been seized by the government
and virtually none sold.
¶9. (C) Paramilitary "purchases" are significant, especially
in the rural, north coast region. Paramilitary leader Jorge
40's recently confiscated computer reportedly contains
information on "purchases" of between 2.5 and 6 million
hectares in the region (reftel). Other paramilitary leaders
have acquired land on the Pacific Coast. There are claims
that paramilitaries are displacing Afro-Colombian communities
to develop lucrative palm oil plantations. The USG checks
all recipients of assistance carefully to ensure that no USG
funding directly or indirectly assists those who
illegitimately acquired land. Assistance has been refused to
some palm oil farmers on these grounds.
¶10. (U) In addition to "purchased" land, paramilitaries,
drug lords, and the FARC all repeat the centuries old pattern
of seizing land from campesinos or taking control of it and
forcingcampesinos to work for them. Between two and three
million peasants are estimated to have been violently
displaced by illicit armed groups seeking to control
territory and/or narco-cultivation in the past decade. This
"counter agrarian reform," as political scientist Francisco
Leal Buitrago describes it, has largely taken place in rural
areas where state presence is weak and land title ambiguous.
FARC seizures have generally been concentrated in the south
and east of the country.
-------
Comment
-------
¶11. (U) Any redistribution of land held by drug lords or
narco-terrorists is complicated by poorly defined land title
and fear of retribution. Colombia's rural areas lack good
cadastral surveys. Tradition establishes boundaries, and
rural residents "know" which family owns what land. Without
adequate plats defining land boundaries, title is ambiguous
and the perception of land inequality is reinforced.
Returning illicitly acquired land to original owners is
difficult, since they never had clear legal title.
Additionally, campesinos fear that if they accept land from
the government, then the previous "owners" will seek revenge
and try to retake the land. Lastly, failure to clearly
demarcate land held by indigenous and Afro-Colombian
communities undermines their ability to enforce the legal
protections afforded them by the Constitution. End Comment
WOOD
=======================CABLE ENDS============================