Threat of eviction against families affected by forced displacement

Today the 5th inspectorate of the police headed by Genaro Cesar Well Flórez, will launch an irregular diligence against the legal land claimants of El Tamarindo.
This diligence forms part of a long chain of administrative and procedural irregularities that are in favor of particular interests of the families Char, Abdala Saieh and Muvdi which are the leading players in the business sectors Prado Investments S.C.A (Inversiones del Prado S.C.A), North Financials (Finanzas del Norte) and Business Society Abdala (Sociedad de Negocios Abdala).

Despite the agreement reached in July with the Barranquilla municipal administration with the aim to suspend all eviction diligences on the property, no effective process is developed that permits the identification of the socioeconomic conditions of the victimized families and that seeks a solution with respect to their problematic situation. The administration which has the command of the inspectorate anticipated the police action.

The displaced people from 1999 occupy the lands of 120 hectare peacefully but the property has been converted to a territorial arena of economic interests for infrastructural and touristic projects that spread out over the whole private property.
By executing this action the fundamental rights of the victimized peasant families affected by the forced displacement are ignored. These victims have been subject of abuses on the part of the authorities due to administrative decisions against the law, disproportionate use of violence, paramilitary operations, threats, detentions, cruel mistreating of children and displaced families, destruction of housings and essential goods of survival.

Although the institutions responsible for the protection of the victims have been permanently consulted, no effective measures have been implemented up to the present day to assure the rights of the legal land claimants of El Tamarindo.

Comisión Intereclesial de Justicia y Paz

Bogotá D.C 31st of October, 2013