Violence in northern Colombia is due to neo-paramilitarism: NGO .
Violence in northern Colombia is due to neo-paramilitarism: NGO .
Thursday, 14 March 2013 12:35 Olle Ohlsen Pettersson
Neo-paramilitary groups are the main generators of violence and threats against civilians in the northern Middle Magdalena region, according to a Colombian NGO.
According to the conflict-monitoring NGO Nuevo Arco Iris, death threats against civilians living in the northern Santander department have continued after the 2003-2006 demobilization of the paramilitary coalition AUC. The main generators of threats and violence against civilians are neo-paramilitary heirs of the AUC, known by the acronym "Bacrim," or emergent criminal groups. Leon Valencia, director of the Nuevo Arco Iris, criticized the administration of former president Alvaro Uribe for declaring the death of paramilitarism after the demobilization of the AUC.
"This created a state of tranquility within the public force and the people which allowed many mid-level leaders to regroup ... and they arrived in Middle Magdalena to stay, because this zone is very important as a route of access to the center and west of the country," said Valencia.
Valencia's claim about neo-paramilitary presence in the region was echoed by Todd Howland, the representative of the United Nations' Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in Colombia.
More:
http://colombiareports.com/colombia-news/news/28533-violence-in-northern-colombia-is-due-to-neo-paramilitarism-ngo.html