Human rights abuses and violence have escalated in Colombia’s south-west Pacific region in the past few years.Hundreds of people,mainly Afro-Colombian youths, are reported to have been killed in Buenaventura alone during 2007 in fighting between the paramilitaries, guerrillas and armed forces; in Nariño, on the southern tip of Colombia bordering Ecuador, as many as 7,000 people have been forced to flee their homes.

The situation in the city of Buenaventura is of special concern. It is Colombia’s busiest port, and is home toWar onWant’s partner, Palenque el Congal (from hereon referred to as Palenque). Palenque is an organisation of Colombians of African descent working to protect their communities against the threat of displacement through human rights awareness-raising activities.

This report has been written based on information produced by Palenque and complemented byWar onWant’s own research. It looks at the role of the guerrillas, paramilitaries and state institutions in the continuing displacement affecting these communities, and in the multiple breaches of their human rights.The report focuses on the most recent and least studied cause of displacement: the production of biofuels, specifically palm oil, at the expense of Afro-Colombian communities’ human rights in the south-west Pacific region.

The land seizures taking place in Colombia for biofuel cultivation are not happening in a vacuum.They are directly linked to the increasing global demand for ‘green’ alternatives to petroleum and a reduction in carbon emissions that harm the environment.

Global demand for palm oil has doubled in the last decade, and concern is growing over the impact of biofuel cultivation on global food prices.2 But less is known about the threat the biofuels revolution poses to the security of vulnerable communities in places like Colombia.

The UK government has a history of supporting Colombia’s military campaign to defeat the guerrilla forces and has been accused of turning a blind eye to human rights abuses against civilians.3 As the demand for palm oil and other biofuels increases, it is now time to question the role played by the UK government and other investors in propagating further violence and bloodshed against the Afro-Colombian communities, whose right to land and security is increasingly under threat as a result of the biofuels revolution.

Sue Branford
Chair,War onWant

Download Fuelling Fear: The Human Cost of Biofuels in Colombia

PDF format, 619KB, 16Pages.

Published May 2008
Written by Gemma Houldey based on research by Palenque el Congal and Christopher Moye.

War onWant
Development House
56-64 Leonard Street
London EC2A 4LT, UK
Tel: +44 (0)20 7549 0555
Fax: +44 (0)20 7549 0556

Conclusion:

With international interest and investment in biofuels set to rise, Colombia is likely to continue seizing the opportunity to increase its share in production and exports.

The UK, despite being one of the largest consumers of Colombia’s palm oil products, remains unaware of the devastating impact of cultivation of this crop on the lives of indigenous and Afro-Colombian communities.

This is despite the British government’s admission in its own research that increased palm production in Colombia is likely to provoke more forced evictions, land grabs, pollution of waterways and the destruction of forests.

The chocolate,margarine or soap that we see on supermarkets shelves contains palm oil that has a good chance of coming from a country where thousands of people are being forced off their land, some of them brutally killed, in order to meet international demand.

In addition, as the race to reduce global warming continues, the British government and investors in biofuel production must recognise that the land belonging to indigenous and Afro-descended people is not for sale and that further palm cultivation will serve to increase violence and displacement in south-west Colombia.

War onWant’s partner Palenque el Congal works with marginalised Afro-Colombian communities who are affected by the internal conflict to enhance their civil, political, land and cultural rights. Community-led initiatives facilitated by Palenque are leading to an increased awareness of basic human rights among the black population.

Palenque is trying to lessen the number of communities displaced within theValle de Cauca as a result of the armed conflict by capacity building for local communities through training in conflict resolution and human rights awareness; provision of seeds and tools to families to enable communities to grow food and distribute it amongst the poorest families; advocacy through dissemination of published reports at public meetings, lobbying at national, regional and local levels, and a public awareness campaign.

Included in these campaigns are regular protest marches.On 31 May 2007 Palenque took part in a demonstration that demanded that national and international bodies take action to confront the dismal situation in the port city of Buenaventura.Through constant campaigning and social projects funded by NGOs such asWar on Want movements like Palenque are continuing the fight for the rights of Afro-Colombian communities.

All readers are urged to call on the UK government to withdraw its military support for President Uribe’s government by writing to Rt Hon David Miliband MP, Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, King Charles Street, London SW1A 2AH.

Further, if you would like to supportWar on Want’s work with partners like Palenque el Congal you can make a donation by sending a cheque toWar onWant, FREEPOST (that’s all you need to write on the envelope).War on Want makes long-term commitments to grassroots organisations across the developing world. If you would like to help us continue to supports these vital projects, join us by becoming a member today.

Visit War on Want Website

War on Want fights poverty in developing countries in partnership and solidarity with people affected by globalisation. We campaign for workers' rights and against the root causes of global poverty, inequality and injustice.

War on Want knows that poverty is political. The decisions of politicians in rich countries can mean life or death for people in developing countries. We have the power to reshape the global landscape - to ensure that people across the world can live in justice and peace.

War on Want works with some of the bravest and most inspiring groups in the world. In rural communities, in factories and sweatshops, in conflict zones and on the margins of society, we work with people fighting for real, lasting change.

War on Want challenges the structures that keep poor people poor. From trade rules rigged in favour of rich countries and their multinational companies to poverty in Palestine, War on Want campaigns in the UK and internationally to deliver real lasting change for the world's poorest people.

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