CORDOBA AND SUCRE SHOW PROGRESS, THREATS POSED BY

C O N F I D E N T I A L BOGOTA 003494 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/22/2016 TAGS: PHUM PGOV KJUS CO SUBJECT: CORDOBA AND SUCRE SHOW PROGRESS, THREATS POSED BY NARCOTRAFFICKERS REF: A. BOGOTA 1509 ¶B. BOGOTA 3277 Classified By: Political Counselor John S. Creamer. Reason: 1.4(b,d) -------------- SUMMARY -------------- ¶1. (C) Local officials in Sucre noted improved security and less violence due to the paramilitary demobilization, but remain concerned about the threats posed by new criminal groups and narcotraffickers. Demobilized paramilitaries face high unemployment and recruitment pressure from new criminal groups, leading some to return to crime. Extortion and fights between criminal groups over land and trafficking routes have worsened. Sucre Bishop Nels Beltran said the GOC needs to shift its focus from fighting the FARC to combating narcotrafficking. Similar trends persist in neighboring Cordoba department. Still, the Colombian National Police (CNP) have aggressively pursued criminal groups in Cordoba, resulting in over 100 arrests and record cocaine seizures so far in 2008. Victims groups called for strengthening the Justice and Peace Law process, more socio-economic aid, and greater protection for victims. Local opposition political activists acknowledge greater political space in both departments, but complain that politicians tied to the former paramilitaries continue to rule. End Summary. -------------- -------------- SUCRE SECURITY BETTER, BUT NEW GROUPS STILL A THREAT -------------- -------------- ¶2. (SBU) Local authorities said Sucre--scene of some of the worst paramilitary massacres in 2000-2002 and a major drug transshipment route--continues efforts to build a "post-conflict" reality following the paramilitary demobilization. Local CNP Commander Colonel Mauricio Medina highlighted a decline in overall violence since 2002 (71 murders so far in 2008, down from 236 in 2002),and noted strong coordination with the Marine Infantry Brigade and the Prosecutor General's office (Fiscalia). Sucre Governor Juan Carlos Barraza said the main concern is the lack of jobs and development, especially in rural areas. Sucre's 52% poverty rate exceeds the national rate of 45%. He complained that insufficient social investment from Bogota has led some demobilized paras to return to crime or enter the drug trade. Local Human Rights Ombudsman (Defensoria) Oscar Herrera said the security situation in Sucre has improved since demobilization, but violence by rival criminal and narcotrafficking groups remain a concern. He added that some demobilized groups have also rearmed. ¶3. (SBU) MAPP/OAS (OAS Mission to Support the Peace Process) Representative Carlos Gonzalez said that although more political space exists in Sucre, violence between rival criminal groups has worsened over the last year. As demobilization projects wrap up, the lack of jobs prompts many demobilized to revert to crime. Narcotraffickers are buying land from locals at below-market-prices through extortion or intimidation. They then sell the properties to large investors or companies for hefty profits. The new criminal groups also fight for control of drug routes. Local National Reparation and Reconiliation Commission (CNRR) official Eduardo Porras said many criminals groups use paramilitary names as publicity-grabbing tools, making it difficult to distinguish between them and the old paramilitary structures. Still, the new groups are dedicated to purely criminal activities and do not fight the FARC. ¶4. (SBU) Local Catholic Bishop Pedro Nels Beltran agreed Sucre's security situation has improved since the days of the paramilitaries, but added that violence remains a problem. He said the new criminal groups consist of paramilitaries who never demobilized, demobilized who have returned to violence, and narcotraffickers exploiting the vacuum left by the demobilized para blocks. Beltran noted that the violence in Sincelejo, Sucre's capital, has increased as new groups target demobilized who refuse to join their ranks. Beltran asserted that GOC security forces need to shift their focus from fighting the FARC--which he said barely exists in the region--to concentrate on narcotraffickers instead. ¶5. (C) Beltran added that community distrust of local government, especially in San Onofre where two former mayors have been arrested for paramilitary ties, remains high. Many Sucre residents believe that their elected officials collude with criminal groups. Local San Onofre Polo Democratico representative and victims' advocate Jackie Moguera said security in San Onofre is better, but argued that fundamental changes in the local power structure have not occurred. She noted that San Onofre Mayor Edgar Balseiro is brother of convicted para-legislator Muriel Benito Revollo, while Governor Barraza is a political protege of Senator Alvaro Garcia (Garcia is in jail on charges that he planned several paramilitary massacres.) Beltran said the GOC needs to invest more in the Justice and Peace process and victims' protection. CNRR Gonzalez said addressing land restitution is also critical to build confidence with victims groups. -------------- -------------- CORDOBA: POLICE OPERATIONS SUCCESSFUL AGAINST NEW GROUPS -------------- -------------- ¶6. (C) Cordoba Governor Marta Saenz told us that of its 28 municipalities, only five (Tierra Alta, Valencia, Montelibano, Puerto Libertad and Monteria) remain extremely violent. She said common crime has fallen by 40%, but conceded that fighting between Don Mario's (Daniel Rendon) criminal group and Los Paisas from Medellin is a serious problem. Saenz stressed the need for better territorial control and more job creation. CNP Colonel Oscar Atehortua told us Cordoba's murder rate has risen sharply since last year (although it is still lower than the national average). He attributed the violence to fighting between criminals over coca fields and trafficking routes, as well as disputes over land held by former paras. The CNP has aggressively attacked new criminal groups, leading to over 100 arrests and record cocaine seizures so far this year. He stressed that public order is more than just the number of police on the street and echoed Saenz' call for more public investment in jobs and social programs. ¶7. (SBU) Officials at the International Organization on Migration (IOM)-run demobilization center in Monteria, the local Human Rights Ombudsman, and the local Fiscalia said the demobilization program faces long-term challenges. Yazmine Caldas of the Demobilization Center called for more national assistance to open doors for demobilized who lack support within their local communities. She noted that of the approximately 2500 demobilized registered with the Center, only 1980 are active in the reintegration program. Caldas stressed that even those who do not return to violence are often targeted for extrajudicial execution by local security forces or by criminal bands. Forced recruitment and high unemployment trap the demobilized into a cycle of violence. Saenz highlighted abuses of the Justice and Peace process by participants who were not really demobilized paramilitaries. -------------- MISTRUST OF GOVERNMENT REMAINS CHALLENGE -------------- ¶8. (C) Julia Rodriguez of the Human Rights Ombudsman's office criticized the Early Warning System (EWS),noting that the security forces' failure to respond to threats reported through the EWS has eroded public confidence in the program. She said the EWS cannot work without basic services and security to support it. Local Fiscalia director Mario Anaya cited recent progress in several criminal cases against new groups, but said the Justice and Peace process needs more logistical support and other resources. Anaya's office currently has 85 active investigations against various new groups (40 against Los Traquetos, 14 against supporters of Don Mario, and 31 against other criminal groups) and is improving information-sharing among local law enforcement and judicial authorities. Still, public mistrust among the security forces remains high, with new criminal groups looking to penetrate the Fiscalia and local government as the as the paramilitaries had in the past. Local MAPP/OAS official Christian Rodriguez said extrajudicial killings by security forces continue to undermine public confidence in the military and police. -------------- VICTIMS WANT MORE SOCIO-ECONOMIC ASSISTANCE -------------- ¶9. (SBU) Local communities in Cordoba acknowledged progress in addressing victims' concerns, but were dissatisfied with the "unfairness" of the Justice and Peace process. The community of Costa de Oro recently received 900 hectares of land under the Justice and Peace Law from ex-AUC leader Salvatore Mancuso. The land was originally taken by Fidel Castano, and then passed to ex-AUC leader Carlos Castano before ending up in Mancuso's hands. The community is happy the process led to the return of their land, but community members complained that the GOC appears more focused on programs to reintegrate the demobilized than in helping their victims. Without capital, they could do little with the returned land. MAPP/OAS official Rodriguez said continued fighting over territory by new criminal groups directly affects victims trying to participate in the Justice and Peace process. He assessed that as far as Cordoba's rural rural population is concerned, little has changed. NICHOLS