Below is an article I wrote for FOR's most recent Latin America update. You can read the rest of the articles from this Latin America Update (with the photos) and/or subscribe to get these updates by email here:
http://forusa.org/blogs/john-lindsay-poland/julyaugust-2011-latin-america-update/8876
Letter From the Field
Reclaiming the Filo de la Cruz
By Gina Spigarelli
The Filo de la Cruz (The Ridge of the Cross) sits overlooking La Unión, the small rural Peace Community village in Colombia where FOR has a permanent accompanimient program. The land that makes up the hill belongs to the Peace Community of San José de Apartadó, individuals that make up that community, and other surrounding campesinos. From the center of town in La Unión, one can reach the top of the Filo in a quick 10 minute walk. It is but one jungle covered hill that makes up the beautifully impressive country landscape surrounding La Unión. As with every piece of land in this war zone, the Filo de la Cruz has a complicated history.
The hill received its namesake in the late 1990s, when the military murdered a young Peace Community member in the woods there. In honor of his life, the community placed a cross on the ridge; the cross was made of wood, and has long since fallen, but the name has stuck.
“Two years ago, when the military started camping on the filo, we had no idea they were planning to stay so long,” explained Juan. “For decades both legal and ilegal armed actors have passed through community property, often spending a night or two in hammocks on the filo and leaving traces for community members to later find.” This time was different, however. The military men on the filo didn’t move on after a night or two. They started to build an encampment.
A military encampment overlooking a Peace Community brings obvious concern to the citizens living in the valley below. “ It’s just not good for civilians to be so near an encampment,” Francisco* shared with me. “We immediately knew that we would be in more danger than before. When the military plants themselves somewhere, they attract other armed actors. This is exactly what happened and
Military trench on ridge at edge of La Unión in Peace Community.
FOR photo
we as a Peace Community were at risk to be caught in the crossfire.” Over a two year period, there were combats and bombings happening literally just outside of town. “They even had a dummy in military fatigues sitting right there, to draw fire,” added Fernando, motioning to a tree stump on the village-facing side of the hill.
The Peace Community, along with their international supporters, repeatedly published newsletters and action alerts expressing their concern over the proximity of the military to cilvilians in the zone. After an exceedingly dangerous combat in October of 2010, where the military and guerrillas were shooting next to the homes of small farmers, the community reached an agreement that they needed to do all they could to convince the military to leave.
“Originally we planned to go up to the filo and tell them to go,” Juan began, “but that would have been particularly complicated and we didn’t know excactly who was there. Instead we decided to continue publishing complaints. Earlier this year though, when they started interrogating people on their way to work or down to town, we started to be more forward about telling them that we didn’t want them there and they were putting us in danger.”
“Two years is a long time in one place. We were all getting nervous that the military was actually going to come up and build a permanent base on the filo. For us this would have meant serious consideration of displacement,” Francisco said.
In May of this year, without warning, the military withdrew from their semi-permanemt position on the Filo de la Cruz. After a few weeks, the Peace Community planned a community work day to clean up the trash left behind. Walking up the filo and around the encampment, we saw old playing cards and deep trenches, tomato plants and improvised water tanks. There were tents and hammocks and mosquito nets- remenents of an abandoned jungle camp in a war zone.
Rosa explained the idea behind cleaning up the encampment, “We went up there to burn their trash and get rid of their mess. We cleared out the brush and left the área with few places to hang hammocks. We wanted to reclaim that land. We really don’t want them to come back. When they are here they surround us. They make it hard for people to get to work and they pose a constant threat of combat. One feels bad knowing there is an encampment in their backyard.”
The Peace Community is happy that the military has left the encampment, but even today as I write this article, there are once again helicopters landing on the far side of the filo. When I asked around to see if people thought the military would be back to that encampment, some were more optimistic than others. The vast majority of people, however, gave the same response: “We hope not. We really hope not.”
* All interviewed Peace Community member’s names have been changed.
