Andean Theater
Colombian gold miners killed in landslide
At least 21 Afro-Colombian barequeros, or small-scale miners, are dead and 28 others injured after a hillside collapsed Oct. 13 following several days of heavy rains on the banks of the Rio Cauca, near Suarez, Cauca department. The open-pit mine was alongside electrical generators of La Salvajina hydro-electric dam, built by the parastal Valle del Cauca Autonomous Regional Corporation (CVC) in 1985 and since privatized to the Pacific Energy Corporation (EPSA). The landslide was said to be caused by local deforestation, and erosion related to the operation of the hydro-dam. One of the tubes that carry the water to the generators imploded, bringing down the hillside. (Terra, Spain, Oct. 14; El Tiempo, Bogotá, Oct. 13)
Energy populism divides South American nations
An Oct. 13 New York Times story, "Energy Crunch Threatens South American Nations," poses the problem in terms of "growth...outpacing fuel supplies"—but actually sheds much light on the continent's political fault lines, which persist despite the predominance of populist or left-of-center governments. The analysis reveals a centrifugal aspect to the populist program which ostensibly pits a united continent against the Behemoth to the North...
Colombian peasant pacifists detained by Israeli authorities
From the Colombia Support Network (CSN), Oct. 12:
The Colombia Support Network (CSN) has received word from the Peace Community of San José de Apartadó that two members of the Peace Community, Arley Tuberquia and Martha Basquez, were detained by the Israeli secret service in the Tel Aviv airport. They had arrived to participate in the Grace Peace Pilgrimage from Eilat, over Bethlehem to Jerusalem. These members of the Peace Community, itself a nominee for the Nobel Peace Prize, apparently are being treated by the Israelis as terror suspects. They are, of course, in no sense terrorists. They have been the sister community of Dane County, Wisconsin for many years. The San Jose Peace Community is totally committed to peace and rejects arms.
Colombia: high court accuses Uribe of obstruction in paramilitary case
In several radio interviews Oct. 9, Colombia's President Alvaro Uribe charged the country's Supreme Court offered benefits including a reduced sentence to imprisoned paramilitary commander José Moncada in exchange for testifying that the president ordered the killing of another incarcerated paramilitary boss, Alcides de Jesús Durango, in 2003. Uribe released a letter he received from Moncada in which he claimed he was bribed into making the charge. Uribe said he called a Supreme Court justice to discuss the matter and asked his prosecutor general to investigate. Supreme Court president Cesar Valencia dismissed Moncada's accusation and said Uribe was "obstructing the court's investigative work" and trying to "delegitimize" the institution.
Colombia: national campesino mobilization follows threats, detentions
On Oct. 10, rural popular organizations mobilized in several regions of Colombia, marching towards the capitals of their respective departments. They are protesting the pending free trade agreement with the United States, legislation which would roll back Colombia's agrarian reform program, and continuing repression by the army and paramilitary groups. Among their demands are the resignation of President Alvaro Uribe. Tens of thousands are said to be participating. The call for the protests was put out by the Campesino Association of the Cimitarra Valley (ACVC). (IMC, Oct. 9)
Che Guevara legacy contested 40 years after his death
Commemorations taking place nearly throughout Latin America 40 years after the death of Ernesto "Che" Guevara on Oct. 8, 1967, indicate just how much the world has changed since then—for better and for worse. Most significantly, in Bolivia—where he met his death, and where his name and image were anathema under military dictatorships and conservative regimes a generation thereafter—the official ceremony celebrating the legendary guerilla was presided over by the populist President Evo Morales. The commemoration was held at the village of Vallegrande in Santa Cruz department, where Guevara was captured, tortured and killed by Bolivian soldiers overseen by CIA agents.
Mistrial declared in US case against FARC leader —again
A federal judge in Washington DC declared a mistrial Oct. 4 in the cocaine trafficking trial of Colombian guerilla leader Ricardo Palmera, AKA Simón Trinidad. AP writes: "The US government had hoped a conviction would underscore its view that the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, is not just a terrorist organization but also a violent drug cartel. But jurors said they could not reach a verdict." (AP, Oct. 5)
Reporter flees Colombia following Uribe-Escobar link claims
From Editor & Publisher, Oct. 5:
Gonzalo Guillen, a reporter for The Miami Herald's Spanish-language daily El Nuevo Herald, has fled Colombia after President Alvaro Uribe accused him of ghost-writing a book linking the president to the notorious drug dealer Pablo Escobar, a Colombian free-press group said Friday.

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