Background

Colombia’s National Committee of Reparation and Reconciliation (CNRR) established a Historical Memory Group, an independent, autonomous unit of 14 respected academics charged with producing an account of the origins and evolution of Colombia’s internal armed conflict, giving special attention to the perspectives of victims.

Activities

USIP has been supporting the work of the gender unit of the Historical Memory Group, and Senior Program Officer Virginia M. Bouvier was invited to attend a series of events related to the release of the Group’s first case study of violence in Colombia, Trujillo: Una Tragedia que no Cesa (Trujillo: An Endless Tragedy).  Dr. Bouvier travelled to Colombia from September 8-12, 2009, with members of HMG.  Her activities included a visit to Trujillo for the presentation of the book to the community and meetings with members of the Association of Victims of Trujillo, AFAVIT.  The book documents and analyzes more than 340 violent deaths of community members that occurred from 1988-1994 and terrorized the local population with theretofore unknown violence such as the use of chainsaws to massacre and dismember victims, and disposal of the corpses in the nearby Cauca River.  Although the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights conducted an investigation and the government of Colombia under President Samper declared itself guilty of negligence, justice has not been forthcoming.  One week following the release of the book, the government issued 60 arrest warrants and 4 of the accused were detained.  The book provides documentation that supports victims' claims for reparations.

PROJECT DIRECTORS: Gonzalo Sánchez and María Emma Wills, Grant administered by the International Organization for Migration, Bogota, Colombia
 

Explore Further

• Countries & Continents: Colombia