

Currently released so far... 13368 / 251,287
Articles
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
2011/05/25
2011/05/26
2011/05/27
2011/05/28
2011/05/29
2011/05/30
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
Consulate Thessaloniki
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
ASEC
AEMR
AMGT
AR
APECO
AU
AORC
AJ
AF
AFIN
AS
AM
AFFAIRS
AA
ADM
ALOW
ACOA
ATRN
AID
AND
APER
ADANA
APEC
ADPM
ADCO
ABLD
AADP
AG
ARF
AMED
AY
AORG
ASEAN
ABUD
AROC
AE
AO
AL
APCS
AGAO
AINF
AODE
ACABQ
AX
AMEX
AZ
ASUP
ARM
AQ
ATFN
AMBASSADOR
ACBAQ
AFSI
AFSN
AC
ASIG
ASEX
AER
AVERY
AGRICULTURE
ASCH
AFU
AMG
ATPDEA
ASECKFRDCVISKIRFPHUMSMIGEG
AORL
AN
AIT
ANET
AGMT
ACS
AGR
AMCHAMS
AECL
AUC
AFGHANISTAN
ACAO
BR
BB
BG
BEXP
BY
BA
BRUSSELS
BU
BD
BK
BL
BH
BM
BTIO
BP
BO
BE
BILAT
BC
BX
BIDEN
BF
BBSR
BT
BMGT
BWC
BN
BTIU
CPAS
CA
CASC
CS
CBW
CIDA
CO
CODEL
CI
CROS
CU
CH
CWC
CMGT
CVIS
CDG
CD
CV
CG
CF
CHIEF
CJAN
CBSA
CE
CY
CM
CONS
CW
CN
CDC
CT
CONDOLEEZZA
CICTE
CYPRUS
COUNTRY
CBE
CIVS
COPUOS
CARSON
CTR
COUNTER
COM
CR
CFED
CKGR
CHR
CVR
CLINTON
COUNTERTERRORISM
CITEL
CLEARANCE
COE
CARICOM
CB
CSW
CIC
CITT
CAFTA
CACM
CDB
CJUS
CTM
CAN
CONSULAR
CLMT
CBC
CIA
CNARC
CIS
CEUDA
CAC
CL
CACS
CAPC
ECON
ETTC
EFIS
ETRD
EC
EMIN
EAGR
EAID
EU
EFIN
EUN
ECIN
EG
EWWT
EINV
ENRG
ELAB
EPET
EN
EAIR
EUMEM
ECPS
ELTN
EIND
EZ
EI
ER
ET
EINT
ECONOMIC
ENIV
EXIM
ES
ECONOMY
ERNG
ELECTIONS
ENERG
EK
EPA
ENGR
ETRC
ENVI
EXTERNAL
ELN
EAIDS
ECA
EFTA
EINVEFIN
EUREM
ETRDEINVECINPGOVCS
EFINECONCS
ECOSOC
ETC
ENVR
EAP
EINN
EXBS
ENGY
ECONOMICS
EIAR
EINDETRD
ECONEFIN
EURN
EDU
ETRDEINVTINTCS
ECIP
EFIM
EREL
EINVETC
ECONCS
ETRA
ESA
EAIG
EUR
EUC
ERD
ETRN
EINVECONSENVCSJA
EEPET
EUNCH
ESENV
ENNP
ECINECONCS
ETRO
ETRDECONWTOCS
ECUN
GM
GG
GERARD
GT
GA
GR
GTIP
GLOBAL
GV
GH
GL
GOV
GOI
GF
GTMO
GANGS
GCC
GAERC
GE
GZ
GAZA
GY
GUILLERMO
GASPAR
IZ
IN
IAEA
IS
IMO
ILO
IR
IC
IT
ITU
IV
IMF
IBRD
INDO
IWC
IRAQI
ISRAELI
ITALY
ITPGOV
ITALIAN
ICAO
ITRA
IPR
INMARSAT
ID
ICRC
INTERNAL
IIP
IRS
ICTY
IQ
IO
ICJ
ILC
IEFIN
IA
INTERPOL
IEA
INR
INRB
IAHRC
ISRAEL
IZPREL
IRAJ
IF
ITPHUM
IL
IACI
IDA
ISLAMISTS
IGAD
ITF
INRA
INRO
IBET
INTELSAT
IDP
ICTR
IRC
KNNP
KFLO
KDEM
KOMC
KSUM
KIPR
KFLU
KPAO
KE
KCRM
KJUS
KAWC
KZ
KSCA
KDRG
KCOR
KGHG
KPAL
KTIP
KMCA
KCRS
KPKO
KOLY
KRVC
KVPR
KG
KWBG
KMDR
KTER
KSPR
KV
KTFN
KWMN
KFRD
KSTH
KS
KN
KISL
KGIC
KSEP
KFIN
KTEX
KTIA
KUNR
KCMR
KMOC
KCIP
KTDB
KBIO
KU
KSTC
KICC
KIRC
KSEO
KSAF
KR
KFRDCVISCMGTCASCKOCIASECPHUMSMIGEG
KIRF
KOCI
KMPI
KCRCM
KNUC
KIDE
KPAONZ
KHLS
KPRP
KHDP
KNUP
KHIV
KCSY
KTRD
KNAR
KWAC
KJUST
KTBT
KBCT
KNPP
KO
KBTS
KSCI
KACT
KFSC
KENV
KAWK
KHSA
KPRV
KVIR
KCFE
KX
KVRP
KCOM
KAID
KPWR
KTLA
KMFO
KNNPMNUC
KNDP
KMRS
KERG
KPOA
KRCM
KCFC
KNEI
KCHG
KPLS
KREL
KFTFN
KTFM
KLIG
KDEMAF
KRAD
KBTR
KGIT
KGCC
KICA
KHUM
KSEC
KPIN
KESS
KDEV
KPIR
KWWMN
KOM
KWNM
KRFD
KFRDKIRFCVISCMGTKOCIASECPHUMSMIGEG
KRGY
KREC
KIFR
KSAC
KWMNCS
KPAK
KOMS
KFPC
KRIM
KDDG
KCGC
KPAI
KID
KMIG
KNSD
KWMM
MARR
MX
MASS
MOPS
MNUC
MCAP
MTCRE
ML
MR
MRCRE
MTRE
MASC
MY
MK
MAS
MO
MTCR
MIL
MAPP
MG
MD
MAR
MZ
MU
MP
MA
MOPPS
MTS
MLS
MILI
MEPN
MEPI
MEETINGS
MERCOSUR
MW
MT
MCC
MIK
MAPS
MV
MILITARY
MARAD
MDC
MEPP
MASSMNUC
MUCN
MEDIA
MI
MQADHAFI
MPOS
MPS
MC
NZ
NATO
NI
NO
NG
NL
NU
NPT
NS
NA
NATIONAL
NSF
NDP
NR
NSSP
NP
NIPP
NGO
NAS
NE
NZUS
NH
NSG
NAFTA
NC
NEW
NRR
NT
NASA
NAR
NK
NOVO
NATOPREL
NSC
NV
NPA
NSFO
NW
NORAD
NPG
OTRA
OECD
OVIP
OREP
OPRC
ODC
OIIP
OPDC
OAS
OSCE
OPIC
OMS
OEXC
OPAD
ODIP
OPCW
OIE
OFDP
OFFICIALS
OHUM
OSCI
OTR
OMIG
OSAC
OBSP
OFDA
OVP
ON
OCII
OES
OCS
OIC
PGOV
PREL
PARM
PINR
PHUM
PM
PREF
PTER
PK
PINS
PBIO
PHSA
PE
PBTS
PL
POL
PAK
POV
POLITICS
POLICY
PPA
PCI
PAS
PALESTINIAN
PROP
PTE
PA
PAIGH
PO
PROG
PJUS
POLITICAL
PMIL
PGOF
PDOV
PSI
PG
PRAM
PREO
PARMS
PAO
PTERE
PRGOV
PORG
PP
PS
PKFK
PSOE
PEPR
PINT
PMAR
PRELP
PREFA
PNG
PFOR
PUNE
PGOVLO
PHUMBA
POLINT
PNAT
PGOVE
PHALANAGE
PARTY
PDEM
PECON
PY
PLN
PHUH
PEDRO
PF
PHUS
PTBS
PU
PARTIES
PCUL
PGGV
PSA
PGOVSMIGKCRMKWMNPHUMCVISKFRDCA
PGIV
PHUMPREL
POGOV
PEL
PINL
PBT
PINF
PRL
PSEPC
POSTS
PAHO
PHUMPGOV
PGOC
PNR
PROV
RS
RP
RU
RW
RFE
RCMP
RIGHTSPOLMIL
ROBERT
RICE
RM
REGION
RO
ROOD
RSP
RF
RELATIONS
RIGHTS
RUPREL
REMON
REACTION
REPORT
RSO
SZ
SENV
SOCI
SNAR
SY
SO
SP
SU
SI
SMIG
SYR
SA
SCUL
SG
SW
SR
SYRIA
SPECIALIST
SEN
SC
SF
SL
SAARC
SNARIZ
SARS
STEINBERG
SCRS
SWE
SN
SAN
ST
SIPDIS
SSA
SPCVIS
SOFA
SENVKGHG
SANC
SHI
SEVN
SHUM
SK
SH
SNARCS
SPCE
SNARN
SIPRS
TRGY
TBIO
TSPA
TU
TPHY
TI
TX
TH
TIP
TSPL
TNGD
TP
TW
TZ
TF
TN
TC
TL
TV
TS
TT
TK
TD
TERRORISM
TO
TRSY
TURKEY
TINT
TFIN
TAGS
TR
TBID
THPY
UNSC
UK
UNGA
UN
US
USTR
UZ
USEU
UV
UG
UP
UNAUS
UNMIK
UY
USPS
UNHRC
USUN
UNESCO
UNCHR
UNHCR
USNC
UNEP
USOAS
USAID
UE
UNVIE
UAE
UNO
UNDP
UNODC
UNCHS
UNFICYP
UNDESCO
UNC
UNPUOS
UNDC
UNICEF
UNCHC
UNCSD
UNFCYP
UNIDROIT
UNCND
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============================