Colombia: More Families Receive Title Deeds to Their Lands

[Judi Lynn]

Colombia: More Families Receive Title Deeds to Their Lands
Source: International Organization for Migration (IOM)

Date: 24 Sep 2010

As part of one of the land restitution pilot projects supported by IOM, 34 peasant farmer families in northwestern Colombia forced to abandon their lands because of the activities of illegal armed groups, this week received the title deeds for their lands.

The 34 families are part of a group of 712 families participating in a regional land restitution pilot project underway in Turbo, a municipality in northwestern Colombia, which has been seriously affected by the violence committed by paramilitary groups. IOM is providing technical assistance to the National Reparation and Reconciliation Commission (NRRC) with funding from US Agency for International Development (USAID).

So far, 158 families participating in this pilot project have received title deed to their lands. The remaining 554 participants have presented the necessary documents and are waiting for their title deeds to be issued.

The 34 families received their title deeds from the Minister of Agriculture, Juan Camilo Restrepo, who has expressed his commitment to support victims that have been uprooted from their property.

"The handing over of the title deeds to these families that were dispossessed and living in extreme uncertainty shows that by working together, partner institutions can pave the way towards recovery so those who had lost their lands can build new lives and improve their economic situation," said Marcelo Pisani, IOM Chief of Mission in Colombia.

IOM has provided support to other NRRC pilot projects, including in the municipalities of Mampuján and Chengue in northern Colombia, benefitting 518 peasant farmer victims of violence. So far 21 title deeds have been handed over and another 198 are scheduled to be ready in November.

As part of a cooperation agreement signed this month by IOM and the Colombian Ministry of Agriculture, IOM will provide technical assistance: for the drafting of a land restitution plan, and creation of a National Land Restitution System; for a programme to legalize rural land tenancies issues; supporting the implementation of the Land Reform Bill to be debated in Congress; and for the creation of a rural development programme for victims of violence.

To date, 1,230 individuals have been assisted with land restitution through three IOM pilot projects.

An estimated two million hectares of farm land have been abandoned by persons fleeing the violence.

http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf/db900SID/LSGZ-89LCYT?OpenDocument

[gbscar]

1. Good. Whatever else one might say, land is one of the core historical issues behind the conflict...

...and even those most skeptical should consider that any steps taken towards returning at least a fraction of the stolen land to its rightful owners are absolutely welcome.

This latest article deals with only a particular event and I believe recent developments as a whole (both positive and negative, not just one or the other) concerning the issue have been underreported around here, for a number of possible reasons, but if nothing else, Juan Camilo Restrepo has already shown that he is not afraid of repeatedly bringing up the subject and acknowledging its importance. This has already been recognized as a positive by experts such as Alfredo Molano.

Whether or not Mr. Restrepo manages to turn enough of his reformist intentions into concrete reality is another matter, but the simple fact that bills dealing with Land Restitution and with Reparations (including for victims of the State, which presents an absolutely contrast with Uribe's previous opposition to the same concept) are already on the agenda is encouraging.

Naturally, it is certain that the real enemies of such reforms are, among others, those local elites who have accumulated much of their land through the employment of paramilitaries and hitmen. They will not face a challenge without presenting resistance and thus those who are truly concerned should be willing to deal with their opposition, one way or another. Some can probably be bought off, to be frank, but others will fight to the death.