With an ongoing civil war that has displaced more than 5 million people, Colombia continues to suffer the largest displacement and humanitarian crisis in the world today. Over half a million Colombians have also fled Colombia’s borders to neighboring countries. Last year alone at least 118,000 people were newly displaced.
This conflict disproportionately displaces poor rural farming communities, Afro-Colombians, indigenous groups, and women and children, who are victimized by vying armed groups as they seek to control territory, resources, and transportation routes. In addition, Colombian farmers face the challenge of crop fumigation. The U.S. funds the aerial fumigation of toxic chemicals over Colombian farm land in an attempt to curb the illegal drug trade, yet the fumigations indiscriminately destroy both legal and illegal crops.Colombians who have been sprayed by the chemicals, produced in the U.S., have reported high incidences of miscarriages, birth defects, and fungal skin infections, as well as the death of livestock and the poisoning of drinking water.
Over the past decade, the U.S. government has spent more than $8 billion in aid to Colombia under a program called Plan Colombia. Until very recently, 80% of this aid was earmarked for arming and training the Colombian military, a troubled outfit that has been implicated in gross human rights abuses. Jesuit Refugee Service has been working with displaced communities in Colombia since 1995. Today, 17 years later, we are still asking you to work with us for peace in Colombia.
Contact your elected officials to voice your concerns about the status of Colombia.
The House of Representatives is considering the bill H.R. 4173, known as the “Prevent Iran from Acquiring Nuclear Weapons and Stop War Through Diplomacy Act.” Introduced by Congresswoman Barbara Lee, this act would direct the President to appoint a high level envoy who would focus on negotiations with Iran in order to ease tensions, normalize relationships and work within the international community to prevent the expansion of nuclear weapons in the region.
Well over 6,500 Syrians are reported to have been killed and many more have been injured since largely peaceful protests began in Syria in mid-March 2011. As documented in a new Amnesty International report, the scale of torture and ill-treatment by security forces, army and pro-government armed gangs has risen to a level not witnessed in Syria for years.
Thank you for supporting the vision of a world free of nuclear weapons and for pledging to “put an end to outdated Cold War thinking.” In the 21st century, nuclear weapons are a global security liability, not an asset. You must act now to reduce the nuclear danger and the role of nuclear weapons.