PRE-ELECTIONS CLIMATE IN CUCUTA: CRIME AND BORDER

C O N F I D E N T I A L BOGOTA 007483

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/17/2017
TAGS: KJUS PGOV PREL PINR PTER CO
SUBJECT: PRE-ELECTIONS CLIMATE IN CUCUTA: CRIME AND BORDER
ISSUES

REF: BOGOTA 7225

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

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SUMMARY
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1. (U) Cucuta, the capital of Norte de Santander, is a major
transit point to Venezuela, making it a magnet for illegal
armed groups trying to control legal and illegal commercial
activity. Its mayor was arrested in September for
paramilitary ties, but he remains highly popular. Election
preparations are proceeding smoothly in the city, with voter
turnout expected to be high. Still, campaigning remains
difficult in rural areas due to threats from criminal bands
and the FARC. End Summary.

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CUCUTA - PARAMILITARY HISTORY
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2. (U) Cucuta, capital of Norte de Santander department on
the border with Venezuela, was once a staging ground for
paramilitaries and still suffers from a high crime rate. El
Tiempo reported 327 killings in Cucuta from January-September
2007, up from 259 during the same period in 2006, largely due
to battles between emerging criminal bands. Wildredo
Canizares, director of the non-governmental group Fundacion
Progresar, compared Cucuta's current violence to the period
between 1999 and 2004, when paramilitaries fought the FARC
and ELN for control of the city. Paramilitaries reportedly
murdered over 5000 people in Norte de Santander before their
demobilization in 2004. Victims included a CTI agent,
Cucuta's DAS director, and a human rights ombudsman. More
recently, a Fiscalia investigator was shot and killed in
Cucuta on September 15, apparently by the illegal criminal
band Aguilas Negras.

3. (U) In September, Cucuta Mayor Ramiro Suarez was arrested
for paramilitary ties for the second time--a 2004
investigation was dismissed for lack of evidence. Suarez
remains popular as a politician who rose from humble origins
as a mechanic and taxi driver. He received the highest
number of votes in the city's history in 2003. The Fiscalia
is currently investigating him for paramilitary ties that
implicate him in the 2003 murder of Alfredo Florez, a mayoral
adviser. Former paramilitary Carlos Andres Palencia
implicated Suarez from Combita prison, saying Suarez
authorized Florez' assassination. Former paramilitary Bloque
Fronteras leader Jorge Ivan Laverde (aka El Iguano) has also
testified that Suarez promised him a political position in
return for helping him get elected.

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VOLATILE FRONTIER PROBLEMS
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4. (C) Local International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC)
representative Gilles Cerutti told us the region has long
been a contraband corridor for petroleum and arms, leading to
a culture of corruption. Cucuta has experienced an economic
boom over the past five years, with most locals giving Suarez
the credit. Glittering shopping centers and luxury fitness
centers dot the landscape of this sleepy border town, where
cheap gasoline from Venezuela is sold in plastic bottles on
every street corner. Cerutti said it is likely some funding
for new businesses comes from narcotrafficking sources and
illegal business activity.


5. (U) On October 1, more than 1000 protesters gathered at
the Simon Bolivar international bridge point that connects
Cucuta to Venezuela to protest the new $1 border crossing
toll. Alleged members of illegal criminal bands burned toll
booths, threw rocks, and vandalized vehicles parked nearby.
The border point was reopened on October 12, a day after
President Uribe visited Cucuta and called for alternative
measures to the toll. The disruption caused major financial
damage, affecting thousands of vehicles carrying goods and
day laborers that pass through this point daily.

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ELECTION PREPARATIONS CONTINUE SMOOTHLY
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6. (C) William Villamizar Laguado (Conservative) leads the
race for governor against regional party candidate Luz
Adriana Quiroga Wilches from Movimiento Apertura Liberal
(MAL). Villamizar us Cucuta has a history of strong
Conservative Party support. He did not criticize former mayor
Suarez, saying he never had problems when dealing with him on
city issues. Villamizar attributed local economic growth to
high consumer demand, the former mayor's drive to attract
investment, and the local shoe manufacturing industry. Crimes
by narcotraffickers and illegal criminal bands remain a
serious problem, and he travels with seven bodyguards when
campaigning in rural areas. He said neither he nor Quiroga
has received any threats in Cucuta.


7. (C) Quiroga said the MAL broke away from the local Liberal
party fourteen years ago and is a Norte del Santander-based
party. She said the paramilitary demobilization has created
more opportunities for smaller parties. Her MAL associate,
Beatriz Adriana Jaimes Mora, is running for mayor in a field
that includes the U party, Movimiento Alianza Social Indigena
and Polo Democratico Alternative. Still, Quiroga complained
local media favor Villamizar and often portray him as the
sole gubernatorial candidate. She said Suarez, who maintains
a personality cult in Cucuta, supports Villamizar from
prison. Quiroga added that departmental and council
candidates in rural areas north of Cucuta, including Tibu and
Villa del Rosario, have received threats from both criminal
bands and the FARC.


8. (C) Despite increased crime, the paramilitary scandal and
border problems, election preparations appear to be
proceeding relatively smoothly in the city. Local registrar
Aurora Morantes said she has not witnessed any security
problems or received any complaints from candidates. She
believed voters will choose candidates based on personality
and platforms instead of party affiliation. Morantes
predicted a record voter turnout of 65% in Cucuta due to
improved security and transparency. Registrars are setting up
1385 voting tables in Cucuta that will each service 300
voters.
Brownfield