Colombia-Refugee+Cause

=Cause of the Refugee Crisis=



This is the Paramilitary

The refugee crisis was caused by a civil war between the paramilitary, which has aligned itself with the government, and the leftist guerrilla group. The paramilitary is using counterinsurgency tactics, which they adapted from the similar US tactics. They have a goal to "exterminate the fish by draining the sea." They are achieving this goal by mass murder, abductions, and other forms of terror. The paramilitary formed in the 1980's and what they are doing is illegal. When the paramilitary started it was a group of 18,000 people strong. This conflict takes 3000 lives each year. The right wing paramilitary has been targeting Colombian civilians who have been labeled guerrilla sympathizers and collaborators. The paramilitary has committed multiple human rights violations such as extra judicial executions and "disappearances". The paramilitary has a way to keep people in line. It is this //"Eliminando al líder, los demás salen corriendo"//, or in English it translates to "Eliminate the leader and the rest flee".

Colombian Conflict Video
This video gives an idea of fighting in Colombia. A sardonic background is given by contrasting salsa music with video of war and violence.

media type="youtube" key="Yq3nbKsHydQ"

**Back to Colombia Homepage**
"Panama/ Colombia, Refugee's: the right to escape death" Amnesty International, June 1, 1997. http://web.amnesty.org/library/Index/ENGAMR440061997?open&of=ENG-PAN