San Jose is one of several peace communities in
Colombia, where residents have taken the decision to
opt out of the conflict by declaring their villages
neutral zones. Peace communities commonly prohibit the
entrance of any armed actor, paramilitary, guerrilla
or State armed forces, in an attempt to avoid being
dragged into the conflict. They were set up after
residents of many villages were forcibly displaced in
the late 1990s, after paramilitary attacks with
alleged state military involvement.

San Jose has reported over 130 murders since its
establishment in 1997, none of which have resulted in
any convictions. The community is not giving evidence
about the 21st February massacre to the State Attorney
General for this reason, preferring to go directly to
the Interamerican Court of Justice where it seems more
likely that action will be taken.

The Colombian State is portraying this as wilful
non-cooperation, ignoring the fact that eyewitness
reports identify the perpetrators of this latest
atrocity as members of the Colombian Army, which makes
villagers understandably nervous about speaking out,
and sceptical as to the results of doing so.

It now seems that the Colombian government is trying
to use this massacre as a way of establishing a
military presence in the community, in line with
President Uribe's determination to send the military
into every corner of Colombia and regain control of
the national territory. The existence of neutral peace
communities runs directly counter to Uribe's plans and
increasingly polemic declarations that the whole
population must stand up and be counted, (ie form part
of the government's recently created "informant
network" or "peasant soldiers"groups). In this
context, San Jose is a thorn in the government's side,
refusing to participate in initiatives which entangle
the civilian population ever more tightly in the armed
conflict and blur the lines between combatant and
non-combatant.

Defence Minister Jorge Uribe told El Colombiano today
that "The Peace Communities in Colombia have been an
experiment in trying to live side by side, backed by
the government, in which non-violence and the right to
life, constantly threatened by terrorist
organisations, have been promoted. However, these
organisations (armed groups)have used the communities
as a refuge for their criminal activities. The San
Jose de Apartado Peace Community has been no
exception. It is the obligation of the Colombian State
to guarantee the right to life of Colombia's citizens
in the entire national territory".

Articles like this have insinuated that had there been
a state presence in the community, the massacre would
not have occurred, and have tried to imply that FARC
guerrillas have infiltrated the peace community. The
Peace Community emphatically denies any co-operation
with armed groups, and maintains that a military
presence in the midst of their village would only make
them more vulnerable to attacks. They have declared
that should a military presence be established in
their village, they will have no choice but to
displace, preserving their neutrality but losing their
homes.

Watch this space for more developments and news.