On the 6th of November several hundred displaced people peacefully took over the University of Antioquia in Medellin. They live in the North East sector (“comuna”) of the city. They were seeking a solution to the problem of harrassment from the armed forces taking part in “Operation Orion” and threats of wholesale massacre, as well as problems relating to their sub-standard living conditions. On the following Thursday an agreement was reached with different authorities aimed at addressing their situation.

The bulk of the displaced people entered the University at 8 a.m. They had come from El Pinal, Altos de Oriente, Carambolas, La Cruz and Honda neighborhoods. The university authorities ordered the university population to leave, suspending academic activities and cutting the water supply, as well as blocking entry into the university. However, some students, teachers and workers stayed in solidarity, including local anarchos and ant-ALCA activists. At about 10 a.m. some students and displaced people managed to open an entrance to let another large group in, which came under tear gas attack from the police as they entered. The main ones affected were the old people and children in the group, who had to receive treatment once inside the university.

A commission presented the displaced people’s demands to the university authorities and at 4 p.m. some food was let in. By this time there was much fear that the armed forces would carry out an eviction by force at night as they had done in 1996 in a similar situation, filming the displaced people and university supporters as they did so. As if to pave the way for this, Colonel Leonardo Gallego who is in charge of repression in Medellin accused the takeover of having been organized by the FARC guerrilla’s urban militias.

Human rights groups and some NGO’s also monitored the situation in order to avoid such a scenario. Meanwhile the children painted and exhibited their pictures, and huge pots of food were prepared for everyone by the displaced people and their supporters. About 40 riot police and other police vehicles and plain clothes cops kept up a presence outside the university.

The displaced communities demanded an end to military operations where they live, and that their neighbourhoods be recognized as refugee camps. They demanded that 500 families be given political asylum abroad and the guarantee of safe return to the land from which they had been displaced.

At 3 a.m. in the morning an agreement was reached between spokespersons for the displaced and representatives of Medellin City Council, the regional government, national government and the university, with the Displaced People’s Social Movement and National Association of Displaced People acting as facilitators.

It was agreed that the Institutional Human Rights Committee (made up of the Public Prosecutors Office, Attorney General, Local and regional Ombudsman’s Office and others) would go to La Honda neighbourhood to hear residents’ human rights complaints and take up any necessary investigations. A meeting was programmed with the Municipal Government to hear the community’s worries about excess force used by the security forces. And a list of violations of International Humanitarian Law will be presented to representatives of the armed forces, the United Nations High Commission for Refugees and the local Arch-Diocese.

It was also agree that food packages will be given to 500 displaced families and school places will be found for those children out of school, who will also benefit from a schoolchildren’s restaurant.

The demands for asylum and for the neighbourhoods to be declared refugee camps were not met (yet) because, supposedly, of the time needed to carry out the relevant bureaucratic procedures.

This information was taken from messages put out by University of Antioquia students and a local anarchist collective, as well as statement by the Seeds of Liberty Human Rights Collective and reports in local newspaper El Colombiano. The latter two appear in Spanish on the Colombia Indymedia website. It is hoped more information will become available.