What Is the Religious/Social Catalyst behind the Insurgency in Colombia - Essay Example

WHAT IS THE RELIGIOUS/SOCIAL CATALYST BEHIND THE INSURGENCY IN COLOMBIA? Information October 17, Colombia Insurgency This paper discusses the insurgency in Colombia, how it began and how it affected the people. It also discusses the religious/social motivation behind the insurgency in Colombia. The country “is known as a land of paradox.”1 It is also the origin of the most powerful guerilla movements in terms of military capabilities, especially in the Latin America region. Although the nation has the least experience being led by the military in comparison to other Latin American nations, in the 1990s, it was described as the most violent place on earth.2 The insurgency began in 1964 and to this day, peace talks continue to be conducted. Compared to other civil wars that have taken place around the world, Colombia’s is the longest, especially given that the situation cannot be said to be over. Causes of the Insurgency in Colombia Raddock describes Colombia as “a turbulent, relatively fast-growing country that contains Latin America’s third largest population and fourth largest economy.”3 Over the years, it has become one of the most troubled countries in the world. The country has had two political parties; the liberals and conservatives. It has been experiencing a guerrilla war since 1950. Despite its economic growth, it has experienced insurgency and a growing narcotic industry. For over a hundred years, the nation has been characterized by violence.4 An insurgency can be defined an armed rebellion against authority. The insurgency begun in 1964 between the Colombian Government and crime syndicates, paramilitary groups, and the guerrillas. Fighting each other was a way of increasing their influence in Colombia. The conflict in Colombia however dates back to the 1920s and 1930s during the Agrarian disputes over the Tequendama and Sumapaz regions.5 La Violencia La Violencia is the name given to a conflict that rose after the power transfer in 1946. This is because the event triggered tensions between the Conservatives and Liberals. The murder of Jorge Eliecer Gaitan, a political leader at the time, and the deaths of about 200, 000 people, are what caused the violence.6 This was in 1948, which was two years after the transfer of power. The Liberal party leader was assassinated in Bogota. After his assassination, there were numerous riots and destruction of property. The people believed that the CIA was responsible for the murder of Gaitan. Due to the violence that took place after Gaitan’s death, a coup emerged in 1954. During this time, Colombia was led by General Gustavo Rojas Pinilla. According to Kline, “Rojas was successful for a time in decreasing the partisan violence, but a combination of factors led to a countercoup in 1957.”7 Rojas First Attempt To Stop the Violence in Colombia Rojas aim was to stop the violence in the country and start a nation building effort. Some of the liberals and conservatives gave their support. This support didn’t last long as both the parties withdrew, when Rojas decided to base his support through the populist reformers. His reign didn’t last long as the liberal and conservative parties removed him from power.8 Rojas in power sent the military to take the property that belonged to the landowners who had fled. The peasants responded by forming an agrarian reform. In an attempt to end the war and conflict, Rojas gave amnesty to all the armed peasants and responded to their call for agrarian reforms. Despite his claim to help the peasants, he did nothing much to help them. He also gave amnesty to those jailed for acts of terror during the Gomez regime.9The prisoners released began killing innocent peasants and forcing them to surrender their weapons. Rojas started a military attack against the armed peasants in what was known as the war of Villarica. It was during time that the FARC came into existence. The cause of La Violencia was blamed on Rojas Pinilla and people took to streets to protest against Rojas regime. The Colombian justice system had failed due to the weak police and military and people soughted to have private justice. La Violencia caused “land conflict, open frontier, rough topography, lack of state presence, and support of liberal landowners.”10 Emergence of Other Militants A terrorist group came up during the 1940s in the rural areas of Colombia. This group was under the influence of communism, and later changed into a contemporary group such as Ejercito de Liberacion Nacional, National Liberation Army and Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionares de Colombia and Revolutionary Armed Forces. The military terrorist groups were formed to counter the subversive group and later formed a contemporary group such as Autodefensas Unidas de Colombia or United self-defense forces of Colombia. After the death of the political leader, the United States strongly supported the anti-communist in rural Colombia, which later led to the reorganization of the Liberal and communist militants. The fighting varied depending on the groups. The Guerrilla and FARC group claimed to be fighting for the rights of the poor people by protecting them from the Government’s violence and ensuring social justice through communism. In response, the Government claimed that it was fighting to maintain order and stability and seeking to protect the rights and interests of the citizens. FARC was formed on a comprehensive Marxist-Leninist ideology. Insurgency fought greed and grievances. Over the years, the guerrilla were against the Colombian Government, traditional political parties and the elites in society. The paramilitary was motivated by the grievances that the guerilla had against the state. The low class people were evicted to the urban areas. The land crisis, especially agricultural productive lands, was the main cause of the social inequality and rural violence.11 PEACE TALKS WITH PRESIDENT BELISARIO BETANCUR During the 1980s, President Belisario Betancur urged the guerrillas to have a peace talk. This resulted to the 1984 La Uribe Agreement, which called for cease-fire.12 The Agreement lasted for 3 years. During this period, members of the FARC formed a political party known as Union Patriotice (Patriotic Union). They wanted to create reforms such as constitutional reforms, increased democratic elections, political decentralization and ending the two political parties, that is, Liberal and Conservative. They also wanted to reform the socio-economic sector, such as land redistribution, health and education, nationalization of foreign businesses, banks, transport and the public to get access to mass media. During the elections, Patriotic Union performed better than any other leftist party in Colombia. During the 1986 elections, the party got 350 council seats, 23 deputies in departmental positions, 9 seats in the house and 6 seats in the senate. Jamie Padro Leal won the 1986 presidential election and was later murdered alongside other UP members. FARC continues to exist and its goals are to fight for the poor and stop the rich from exploiting the poor and protecting the natural resources from the United States and Colombian Government. The group ceased interfering with the Americans on Colombian soil. Drug Trade The Colombian Government and the rebel group reached an agreement in 2002 on ending drug trade. The FARC were to ensure that farmers don’t grow coca which is used to make cocaine. The drug trade funded the Marxist rebel group and caused crimes and instability in South America. FARC offered protection for the traffickers and cultivated, produced and sold the drug. They used the money to buy weapons, and sniper fire for killing the police who were fighting the traffickers. In the 1970s and 1980s, Colombia became the world’s leading country in the production of illegal drugs. Drug syndicates like Medellin and Cali became famous through terror and corruption. The nacro-terrorists sponsored assassins of a number of Government officials, politicians and those people who received extradition treaty from the United States. The Colombian Government finally managed to break the Medellin Cartel and later arrested official leaders of the Cali cartel. Despite the attempt to break these cartels, the drug traffickers continued to sponsor the civil conflict. Drug trade was their main source of finances and this money helped them acquire illegals arms. During the mid-1990s the FARC and ELN continued to extend their territorial presence in Colombia. As the country continued to weaken, it declined in violence as Pablo Escobar and the Medellin cartels strengthened their influence. Judges and other officials would be killed if they didn’t accept bribes from the group. Sicariato was a term used for the people hired to kill. After an attempt by the US trained Colombian National Police team destroyed the Escobar, the Cali cartels filled the gap left. They later penetrated the country through corruption, establishing counterintelligence networks and organizing criminal activities that destabilized the country. The weak country had been affected by notorious narcotics, violence and corruption.13 President Andres Peace Talk During the four year reign of President Andres Pastrana Arango (1998-2002), Colombia marked the highest rate of unemployment, increased attacks from the Guerrilla group, high production of drugs and continued growth of paramilitary groups. During the 1998 attempt to begin peace talks, the president gave the FARC a 51,000 square kilometer area in the south central region of Colombia. The FARC used this area as a haven for the increase in production of illegal drugs. After the failure of having peace talks with the FARC and the government, another Government came to power under the leadership of Alvaro Uribe Velez, who was aided by the American military to keep the FARC in the country, in the effort to improve the economy and reduce the production of illegal drugs. The Uribe Government’s main focus was to protect and provide services, which could train the people on their human rights and the rule of law. This gave the people confidence and trust that they would be well protected. In July 2003, the AUC announced a cease fire. The government was opened for negotiation. In April 2006, the government stated that the dismantle process had begun. AUC AUC had made several demands before ceasing fire. Its main aim was to target suspected guerrillas including trade unions, peasants, farmers, doctors etc. Its main funds were from wealthy landowners, nacro-traffickers and business men.14 In 2007, Chiquita Banana Corporation was fined $1.7 million by the Government. AUC was growing fast and their level of brutality led to the murder of President Barco in1989. In addition to their demands, they said that they wanted to retain their financial assets, and the government to give political position to its members. By 2007, the country security had improved with the help of the Democratic Security and Defense policy. It is estimated the FARC earns about $500million to $600million annually from the sale of illegal drugs.15 The war on drugs has become so difficult because the small drugs producers are flexible and hence difficult to find and destroy. The peace talk wasn’t successful. FARC have agreed to start talks to end the violence that has been there for half a century. The President Juan Manuel Santos stated that the talk doesn’t include ceasefire and it doesn’t guarantee a safe haven as it occurred during the 2002 peace talk.16 For 40 years, Colombia’s government has faced insurgency and has lost control. Part of the country wasn’t represented in the Government. This vacuum was taken by the rebels. Scholars stated that the cycle of violence starts with the different types of violence like the guerrilla and paramilitary, which in turn intensifies conflicts instead of eradicating them. President Ortiz Sarmiento (1990-1991), was involved in a pattern of violence in areas of recent settlement. In areas that lacked representation in the Government, insurgency was the trend. In the vast country, some areas are prone to violence and conflict. The Government under the leadership of President Ernesto Samper was linked to having been involved in the Cali cartels. The loss of a stable leader democratized the drug trade, splitting into smaller cartel groups. It was referred to War on Drugs which was later referred to as War on terrorism by President George Bush and Alvaro.17 The ELN got their capital from payoff from landowners and large oil companies and earned more than $150 million a year (Brown, p161). Scholars like Colliers, stated that if a country has experienced civil war the chances of having war are relatively high. Wars like the war of the thousand days (1899-1901), and La violencia (1946-1958), occurred in the rural areas, in regions that had no representation. The Colombian insurgency is blamed on the National Front, for a long legacy of political exclusion, inadequate legitimation and insurgency. Despite the failures of the National Front, it nevertheless managed to end the war between the liberals and conservatives. National Front lacked mobility and were not flexible enough and this gave rise to an opposition, this aggravated the people (Horgan & Braddock, p 209). The FARC occasionally defiled president Chaves, and continued carrying out violence and kidnapping even after he called for recognition. The FARC, guerillas and paramilitary groups even crossed over to Venezuela and it threated the security of the country. FARC continued to strengthen their fronts, and ELN and EPL joined forces, but they had no military or political strength. SUCCESSFUL PEACE TALKS When Junta took power, he stated that he would restore the political and social unrest in the country. He tried to solve the social issues; he took measures by passing the Agrarian law reforms, by legalizing land takeovers and the lands the occupied. He stepped down after a short period but he had improved the important reforms. Hugo chavez Venezuelan president dismissed allegations that FARC were terrorist. This was after they released hostels. In 2008, Chavez disapproved kidnapping and arms of FARC. After the death of FARC leader Alfonso Cano, the Colombian forces managed to attack the FARC in the jungle. In 2008, millions of people were protesting against the FARC. The people demanded for the release of hostages. This protest was organized through social websites. The peace talks in 2012 were between Colombian Government and FARC, with a goal to find a solution to the arm conflict. In 2014, the government and FARC, talked on how to abolish drug trade and surrendering of fire arms. Humberto de la calle, was the government negotiator, he called for a responsible agreement between the country’s party. Cocaine planting and cultivation and taxation of cocaine trafficking, and ransom from kidnapping have been the major talk of the peace talking. The United States have invested over $8 billion to fight and eradicate illegal drugs and cocaine cultivation, fight against the guerrillas. In attempts to liberate the country drug laws , the FARC have showed support for legalizing and regulating the drug trade. WHAT IS THE RELIGIOUS/SOCIAL CATALYST BEHIND THE INSURGENCY IN COLOMBIA? In the attempt to contain the insurgency, drew attention from radical protest. The conservatives were large land owners and the Catholic Church, while the liberals were reforms minded. The church subordinated to the country as most church state relationship. The church was to register births, parish records and educate the children. Colombia’s conservative Roman Catholic Church have been more vibrate and influential more than the military during elections. With the establishment of UTC, they formed an alliance with the church. Rojas Pinillas was unable to overcome the church led opposition in the creation of an alternative confederation. The Roman Catholic Church, was given freedom of worship but couldn’t own real estates, and removed all church privileges. The Bishops of the Roman Church stated that at least 40 catholic priests have been killed between 1987and 2003.The FARC were brutal towards the Christians, shutting down churches and forcing the youth to join their group and giving out Christian lands. They forced the church not to discuss the country’s internal conflicts. Pastor Alfredo Torres of Christian for peace, tried to negotiate with the armed group. FARC was against the church because; pastors lived well at the expense of their congregation. They further gave an example of pastor who owned herds of cattle, and when he left the church he went with his cattle’s; instead of leaving the cattle’s for the needy in the community. The pastors took offering, but didn’t help in improving the society. The FARC could arrange for community project such as repairing or building bridges everyone would contribute apart from the pastors. FARC believed that the pastors where agents of the United States Government. The church pastors organized corrupted political parties. During the 1970s the ELN suffered a military defeat and experienced internal crisis. Spanish priest Father Manuel Perez Martnez, he said leadership with Nicolas Rodriguez Bautista, until his death. The father played an important role in the establishment ideology of the Cuban revolution and Liberation theology that was used in the establishments of Christian and communist regime to stop the socio-economic problems of political corruption and poverty. Many followers of the ELN were from the Liberation Theology Movement and from the lower class. This movement was established from the Catholic Church and their call was to protect the welfare of the poor (Atkins, 84). In 1965, Priest Camilo Torres enrollment himself into ELN group, he surprised the Colombian society and the church at large. The priest was a culture and educated man from the Catholic University, and he had a good upbringing. He got frustrations with his inability to convince the backward looking of the Colombian Catholic Church, because the people had suffered injustices, misery and poverty. He blamed the church for the poor lives of the people. The church accepted, and he agreed to the restrictions imposed. He argued that his role as a true Christian was not to ignore the social problems and conflicts, as his leaders had done (Nieto,2011, p nd). He acknowledged that the solutions to the social issues were impossible to get through the legal means. He joined in their interests. He was later killed by the army. He became a Latin American revolutionary saint. In Colombia many churches had been weakened by the liberal period. Due to the close relations between the Catholic Church and the government made the Protestants to be suspected as communist. In earlier years evangelical mission was harsh and involved persecution (Anderson, p 334, 2005). When the Liberal party came to power the evangelical missions were recognized and protected. This didn’t last for long when the conservative party got to power the evangelical mission was discarded and many pastors lost their lives. In addition more than 270 Protestants Schools were shut down and churches burned down. In 1991, constitution the Catholic Church was separated from the state. But it was able to retain its privileges, like the Roman Catholic priests could serve as chaplains. The church, seminaries, monasteries were exempted from national and local taxes. Despite the withdrawal of priest from the church to join the Guerrilla groups, the church withdrew its participation in politics and began to advocate for peace. In 1965, Cardinal Concha of Bogota complained about social instability and the dangers that the communist had in the country. By then President Guillermo Valencia accused the church of having agreements with the communists. The church particularly condemned the acts on the Government; Bishop Botero condemned violence and argued respect of private property. The church stated that some lands are acquired through exploration, or brought through forces, shady deals, or through murder (Dussel, 1981,p,168).Tension in the church continued to mount up, two pastors were dismissed from the church, because they advocated for reforms. During a conference seminar of Bishops in Medellin, a group of priests left the church and joined the guerrilla movement. In 1953, the Treaty on mission was negotiated between the Vatican and Colombia. The church was strengthened, and they could serve two-third of the country (Flora, 1979, p77). Under this treaty .The chief Prelate had direct control on the education system, civil management, government capital and lands for the church work. The church had elite ties; the priest of the churches was the president of the conservative party. FARC has put strict restrictions on the church, within the Despeje. In September 1999, the FARC gave priest 15 days to depart from the despeje zone. They didn’t exclude the Roman Catholic Church and they had to pay taxes (Larkin, 2000, p.110).The Catholic Church received a lot of opposition from the FARC and many church members were killed. FARC killed Catholic priest Pedro Honorio Trivino and Miguel Antonio, 2 priest’s and12 church members. Priest Alcides Jimenez was shot 18times, when he preached in a Catholic church, hours after he led a peace public rally. The church continued with its role, fighting against the Government. The Archbishop issued a plead for radical change in the country, accusing the Government of social oppression. Which brought about the insurgency in Colombia and the Guerrilla movement? The social factors were the main cause of the insurgency in Colombia. The low class people were unhappy on how they got treat at work and by their employees. The Colombian problem wasn’t war and armed group but also social injustice and economic and financial differences. This was caused by political corruption and injustices (Berlowe,p 155).In turn the Government used war to respond to the grievances. And as a result armed force was used; the guerillas used weapons to change the country. The church established a Agrarian promotion, this was because it wanted to provide land but also educate the farmers and students on the establishment of cooperatives, accumulation of money, and the technology and resources needed for the exploitation of land (Dussel, p184). Gaitan view on the country side was on a socialist idea but the conditions to improve the society and get a socialist community. His ideas were contradicting as he tried to seek and advocate for social reforms. He fought for social equality, which he classified them into four groups Prehistory of socialism, social reformism, utopian socialism and scientific socialism. During the nineteenth century, Social reform movement was established but had limited powers. They understood the social order, while fighting for remedial reforms of injustices that was there (Sharpless, 1978, p 49). FARC and ELN were fighting for the social demands of the people. They demands increased wages, recognition of employment contracts, recognition of trade unions, and end of company stores. The companies refused to have a collective bargaining, because they didn’t hire the employees directly and they were not obliged to meet their labour issues (Sharpless, 1978, p 57).Gaitan fought and campaigned for the low-class people of Bogota. The state the low class people lived forced them to engage in kidnapping, murder, and grow the illegal drug. The social problems in urban and rural areas create an environment of violence and the lack of violence. Despite the efforts to reduce violence, the government attempts. The macro and micro economics growth, this has reduced the governments to curb poverty, inequality and land reforms. In conclusion, the Colombia insurgency this was a war against the government. This war was brought about the poor working condition, low wages and lack of representation. These grievances caused the violence; this war brought the emergence of guerrilla war. This group fought for the rights of the low class, they used arms to fight for their rights. They started cultivating coca and produced cocaine to sell, to fund their group. The occasionally kidnapped the rich and asked for ransom. These groups terrorised people and Colombia lost its peace. Several peace talks have failed to stop the insurgency, but in 2014 there seems to be a having a successful peace talk. The church has played a major in the insurgency, many priests joined the guerrilla. 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