The internal armed conflict in Colombia that has persisted since the 1960s has left nearly 10 million victims throughout the national territory, as a result of clashes between guerrilla groups, paramilitaries and state armed forces.
According to official data, there are 9,781,883 victims, which means that two out of 10 Colombians have suffered violence, in forms such as forced displacement, the loss of a loved one, murders, disappearances, sexual violence, threats, kidnappings, attacks, armed confrontations or land dispossession.
In an interview with the Voice of AmericaLilia Solano, director of the Victims Unit, a state entity created in 2012 to provide care, assistance, protection and comprehensive reparation to victims of the conflict, explained that the government faces a “giant challenge” in terms of reparation and recognition of victims, due to the “slowness” of the process over the past 13 years.
“To compensate all the victims, around 343 billion pesos – approximately 80 billion dollars – would be needed, a gigantic figure,” Solano explained..
He also mentioned the recent request that the Victims Unit made to the United States Embassy in Colombia, so that the assets of the ex-paramilitaries extradited to that country can be used to compensate the victims of the conflict.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
VOA: What is the situation of victims in the country and how is the reparation process progressing?
SolanoThe number of victims in Colombia is overwhelming. We currently manage the Single Registry of Victims of the Armed Conflict, which includes nearly 10 million registered people. In addition, there are collective subjects such as unions, peasant organizations and teachers who were affected by the war in their territories.
As you can see, this number is immense and represents an almost unpayable debt. We have return, relocation, integration and reparations programs, both individual and collective, including compensation. Most of the victims come from indigenous, Afro-Colombian, Raizal and Palenquera communities, which represent at least 80%.
VOA: What are the Colombian government’s goals for providing reparations to victims of the conflict?
Solano: We have two major goals. One is related to the National Development Plan, where the objective is 600,000 reparations. However, the president has insisted that we must go further and dignify at least 2 million victims, something we already have in mind.
The President, victims and civil society have all agreed that we must work towards comprehensive reparations.
Even if we cannot gather all the resources in this government, we will strive to find a way to fully compensate the victims. The challenge is enormous, since the process has been very slow over the last 13 years. This government wants to leave a mark and its legacy will be reparation to the victims.
VOA: President Gustavo Petro has said that it would take 150 years to compensate all the victims and has proposed issuing banknotes to speed up the process. What do you think about this idea?
Solano:When you tell the victims, many of whom have died waiting for reparations, that they will have to wait 150 years, it is like telling them that they will not be compensated. At this rate, reparations would be impossible.
The gap of the historic debt cannot be closed by a single government. However, the president had already mentioned this proposal. The victims want a government that tells them: “We owe you a debt, many of you live in conditions of extreme poverty and we must make amends.” It is also a debt that, in a globalized world, must be supported by the international community, as we have proposed.
The president brought this idea to the UN, not only to end the armed conflict and the war, but also to provide reparations to the victims. We know that we cannot do it alone, but we cannot continue to create victims without anyone assuming the responsibility of providing reparations. This government wants to lead this search for resources for reparations.
VOA: The Victims Unit recently sent a request to the United States to use the assets of paramilitaries extradited to that country to compensate victims. What is the status of this process?
Solano: It is very important. We from the Victims Unit sent a letter to the United States ambassador in Colombia and to the person in charge of Human Rights at the embassy. When the paramilitary leaders were extradited, one of the victims’ concerns was not having access to justice, truth and full reparation, since they were prosecuted for crimes related to drug trafficking and not for crimes against humanity committed in Colombia.
The victims feared that they would not have access to hearings to learn the truth. Time has passed and many of them handed over property and assets as part of negotiations to reduce their sentences. We believe that this is a good time to address the issue.
The United States is committed to democracy, peace, and justice. We submitted the request and await a response, knowing that these are processes that take time. It is important that the victims in Colombia feel that their voice has been heard.
VOA: Among all the challenges the State faces in providing reparations to victims, which do you think is the greatest?
Solano: We have enormous challenges. The first is to fulfill what was agreed, since for years the institutions have failed in their commitment to the communities. There is great distrust that what was signed will not be fulfilled. We also face the challenge of having few resources, which forces us to prioritize and fulfill the commitments with the indigenous, Afro-Colombian and Raizal peoples.
It is essential to ensure the resources to comply with the agreements and maintain the pace of reparations that we have achieved in this government, so that what was agreed upon is respected in the future, regardless of the next government. The search for more resources for reparations for victims is essential.
Connect with the Voice of America! Subscribe to our channels YouTube, WhatsApp and to newsletter. Turn on notifications and follow us on Facebook, X and Instagram.
Add Comment