Pubdate: Mon, 19 Jul 1999
Source: Houston Chronicle (TX)
Copyright: 1999 Houston Chronicle
Contact:  http://www.chron.com/
Forum: http://www.chron.com/content/hcitalk/index.html
Author: Margalit Edelman
Note: Edelman is Latin America Research Fellow, Alexis de Tocqueville
Institution
Related: MAP has many articles on Latin America at http://www.mapinc.org/latin/

WORLD'S NEXT BIG REFUGEE CRISIS IS NEAR OUR DOORSTEP

The next big refugee crisis is already happening. If you missed it, you're
not alone. Few people have taken notice of the devastating events occurring
in Colombia over the last 10 years.

Most people have at least heard something about Colombia recently: the
guerrilla kidnappings, the increase in vicious paramilitary-led massacres,
the resignation of several top Cabinet ministers, or the peace talks, now
rescheduled for Tuesday, that are aimed at ending a long-running civil war.

However, there is little awareness of Colombia's 1 million internal
refugees, displaced people who have been forced to flee their homes and
towns because of guerrilla or paramilitary-initiated violence, but cannot
leave the country. In their precarious situation, these Colombians face
harrowing conditions. Those who manage to escape their villages often live
in fear of repeated attacks and remain physically or psychologically
scarred by the terror they have witnessed. They tend to migrate to
overcrowded urban areas, and live in shanty towns or unsanitary shelters.

Adults rarely find work and few children have access to schools. Adolescent
boys remain in constant danger of forced conscription into the conflict.
Though the government constantly pressures them to return home, few
displaced people actually do, especially because they receive no assurance
of safety and security.

Since they don't cross international borders, internal refugees rarely
receive media or international attention. Without the bright glare of the
media spotlight, obtaining external assistance and protection becomes an
exceedingly difficult proposition. While other aspects of the Colombian
civil war have received coverage, few media outlets have documented the
extensive displacement that has altered the Colombian landscape forever.

Colombia's internal crisis is now spilling over the borders, seriously
threatening regional stability. During the last few weeks, more than 2,600
Colombians, fed up with the fear and the violence, braved swamps and rough
terrain in attempts to enter Venezuela. Venezuelan authorities then
violated international law, repatriating the refugees and returning them to
a situation where they faced persecution. Though unfriendly and unlawful,
Venezuela's response has at least drawn attention to the deteriorating
refugee conditions in Colombia.

In the short run, the United States, Colombia and other countries must urge
Venezuela (and any other adjoining countries that may deal with Colombian
refugees) to comply with U.N. Refugee Convention and Protocol obligations
by providing threatened Colombians with temporary asylum. If Venezuelan
President Hugo Chavez is sincere about his desire to help negotiate peace,
he should start by assisting the desperate Colombians stranded on his
doorstep. The Colombian government should also take steps to reduce the
paramilitary offensives that have driven Colombians from their homes,
particularly in the areas of La Gabarra and La Pista.

Within the context of the civil war, Colombia's long-term plan must include
greater efforts at severing all connections between the military and
paramilitary, the latter of which often receives logistical and strategic
support from the former to carry out raids and massacres.

Colombian President Andres Pastrana and his administration should work to
improve civil infrastructure, particularly in areas where guerrilla groups
have become the de facto government, forcing the local population to become
reliant upon their leadership and protection. He must also promote
legislation that upholds global standards of human-rights protections and
punishes those responsible for atrocities, including government and
military officials.

The peace talks must address the issue of displaced people, how their
immediate and long-range needs may be met, and how the government can help
restore a sense of security among the civilian population. The United
States, so quick to defend Kosovo, should not ignore the crisis brewing
only a few hundred miles south.

Indeed, bringing about peace in Colombia might also help end the drug war
that has been the central focus of U.S. policy toward Colombia. In past
efforts to help the Colombian government fight drug lords, the U.S.
government directly and indirectly supplied the deadly paramilitary
organizations responsible for much of the terror with arms and combat training.

The Leahy amendment to the Foreign Operations Appropriations Act ensured
that military units that commit human-rights abuses would be ineligible for
American aid. The amendment, which curtailed the flow of funds to
paramilitary groups and reaffirmed the importance of human rights to
bilateral relations, should be aggressively enforced and also expanded to
include monitoring of military units that already receive aid.

Colombia is a land of contradictions. It is a stunningly beautiful country
ravaged by violence. A strong democracy torn apart by the only civil war in
Latin America and outrageous human-rights abuses. A functioning economy
with open markets that are often consumed and threatened by the illegal
drug trade. And it is home to a massive refugee crisis that is all but
invisible to most of the world. Let us hope that it will not be too late by
the time the damage done is globally acknowledged.

Edelman is the Latin America Research Fellow at the Alexis de Tocqueville
Institution, in Arlington, Va. 
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