Machine-gun fire, bombardments and indiscriminate fumigations afecting Arauca

18.06.08

Machinegun fire, bombardments and indiscriminate fumigations afecting Arauca

Early Warning
Arauquita June 13th 2008

The Peasant Farmer Association of Arauca (ACA) has alerted the authorities and both national and international human rights organisations, on behalf of the inhabitants of the villages surrounding Filipinas (Tame). After recent indiscriminate machine gun fire, bombardments and fumigations in the area some local inhabitants have lost their livestock and their stocks of bread. The military troops, not satisfied with this, took possession of the house of some local farmers sleeping alongside them, continuing their violation of International Humanitarian law, threatening the peasants and labeling them as terrorists and/or assistants of the guerrillas.

Very early in the same day troops from the 5th Mobile Brigade undertook an incursion into the village of El Rincón, and entered the house of local farmer Carlos Alberto Benavides Duran at which his wife responded by saying that he was out working. When he returned from work they intimidated him and forced him to carry supplies for the troops.

The Peasant Farmer Association of Arauca has called for attention for the following communities of Filipinas, El Rincón, Galaxias, El Milagro and Lejanías for the illegal conduct of the military. Although nothing grave came to pass with the local farmer Carlos Alberto, it is routine for these troops to gather the people and undertake extra-judicial executions and to present positively the politics of “Democratic Security”.

Asociación Campesina de Arauca
Personaría Jurídica No. 500296-1

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