GUAJIRA'S UNIQUE SOCIAL PROBLEMS CONTINUE POST

C O N F I D E N T I A L BOGOTA 003307

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/10/2017
TAGS: KJUS PGOV PINR PREL PTER CO
SUBJECT: GUAJIRA'S UNIQUE SOCIAL PROBLEMS CONTINUE POST
PARAMILITARY DEMOBILIZATION


Classified By: Political Counselor John S. Creamer.
Reasons: 1.4 (b) and (d)

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Summary
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1. (C) Community leaders and local officials said security
had improved in Guajira since the paramilitary
demobilization, but some ex-paramilitaries continued their
criminal activities. Several said most of the department's
problems were not security related, but reflected entrenched
social problems. The Wayuu indigenous population, which
represent over 40 percent of the Guajira's residents, possess
dual Venezuelan and Colombian citizenship, and have different
customs and legal rights, frequently clash with the
department's other residents. The Department's border with
Venezuela and geographic isolation from the rest of Colombia
further complicate security and development. End summary.

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Partial Security Improvements
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2. (C) In Poloff's trip to Guajira on March 22, Acting Mayor
of Riohacha Lain Lopez said security had improved since the
paramilitary demobilization; homicides fell from 194 in 2005
to 109 in 2006. Still, some ex-paramilitary members
continued their criminal activities. In northern "Alta"
Guajira in Uribia, a faction of the ex-paramilitary's North
Bloc (approximately 50 members) that did not demobilize was
still active. The MAPP/OAS regional analysts said this
group--led by a former military officer known as Pablo--was
trying to displace the Wayuu to gain control of
narcotrafficking routes and other illicit activities. In the
remainder of the department, small groups of delinquents use
the name of the Aguilas Negras to intimidate the population.
Their main activities are extortion, narcotrafficking, and
smuggling.

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Public Forces Trying to Maintain the Pressure
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3. (C) DAS Director John Cuellar said the public forces
recently captured 11 ex-paramilitary North Bloc members and
several weapons caches. MAPP/OAS analysts noted in southern
Guajira, the public forces have conducted several operations
against ex-paramilitaries from the Counterinsurgency Wayuu
Bloc. The most recent operation took place in Dibulla in
late March, when the public forces captured three of its
leaders and killed four others. Cartagena Battalion
Commander Colonel Roosevelt Leon said the main problem he saw
were alliances of small criminal groups. These groups were
mainly involved in the logistics of the narco-business. The
influx of AK-47s and other automatic rifles from Venezuela is
also a concern.

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Manual Eradication Results Questionable
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4. (C) Col. Leon said the Police were conducting manual
eradication of coca crops near the area of operations of the
FARC's Front 19 (approximately 250 members) in southern
Guajira. Still, the level of coca cultivation and
trafficking seemed unchanged despite greater manual
eradication efforts. Leon thought manual eradication was
less effective than spraying, since the growers replant the
fields once the eradicators leave. With spraying, it takes
much longer for the growers to be able to use the land again.

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Guajira's Main Problems, Social in Nature
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5. (C) Secretary of Government Adalberto Redondo said the
majority of Guajira's problems were not security related, but
stemmed from lack of infrastructure and entrenched social
problems. These included high unemployment, lack of access
to basic services, invasion of public space, prostitution,
displacement, and reintegration of demobilized paramilitary
population (338 persons). Lack of access to potable water
was the main source of the department's health problems.
Moreover, there were over 35,000 displaced persons in the
department, most of them located in the capital, Riohacha.

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Unique Social Composition Key Source of Problems
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6. (C) DAS Director Cuellar said Guajira's geography, large
indigenous population, and border with Venezuela required a
different approach to establish security and promote
development. Cultural differences between the Wayuu and the
rest of the population generated social tension. The Wayuu,
who represent over 40 percent of the population, have
different customs and rights than the rest of the population.
Secretary of Government Redondo said the Wayuu's dual
Colombian and Venezuelan citizenship and their easy access to
Venezuela enables them to smuggle gasoline and other
contraband, creating conflict with the rest of the
department's residents.


7. (C) Cuellar said Maicao, which borders Venezuela,
represents a snapshot of the challenges the department faces
because of its unique populace and geographical location.
Maicao's high levels of contraband and
narcotrafficking--facilitated by the Wayuu's mobility--makes
this area difficult. Cuellar said paramilitary leader Jorge
40's North Bloc people killed several Wayuu leaders who had
controlled much of Maicao's illegal business in the late
1990s. Many Wayuu fled to Venezuela following the murders.
In Venezuela, these Wayuu worked closely with the FARC's 59th
Front. With the demobilization of the Northern Block, the
Wayuu were returning to Maicao to resume control of the
contraband and narco business with the help of the FARC.


8. (C) Fiscalia Sectional Chief Ana Milena Carreno said her
office had a difficult challenge in handling legal disputes
while respecting Wayuu culture. Her unit has a total of 30
prosecutors, with each overseeing an average of over 500
cases. Most of the cases involve contraband of gasoline and
petroleum from Venezuela. Narcotrafficking related cases
were mainly in Alta Guajira and, to a lesser extent, in the
Sierra Nevada. She said road conditions were a challenge for
her prosecutors and investigators. It could take over eight
hours to travel from Riohacha to some remote locations.
Drucker