///ENGLISH VERSION BELOW///Fuente: CM&
http://cmi.com.co/?ir=noticia¬a=42407&seccion=7--------------------------------------------
Domingo, 04 de Abril de 2010 15:21
Unos 1.500 campesinos abandonaron sus tierras y buscaron refugio en el casco urbano de Ituango presionados por la guerrilla de las FARC, denunciaron hoy las autoridades civiles de esa localidad.
Los labriegos proceden del caserío de La Vega del Inglés y otros tres parajes rurales de la población, precisó su alcalde, Carlos Mario Gallo, quien indicó que el éxodo se registró el sábado. Los desplazados atribuyeron el desplazamiento forzado al frente 18 de las FARC, reducto que actúa en la región, agregó el funcionario, que dispuso que los campesinos fueran acogidos en un establecimiento educativo.
En declaraciones a la cadena Caracol Radio, el alcalde pidió a la Gobernación de Antioquia, departamento al que pertenece Ituango, lo mismo que a entidades estatales y al Comité Internacional de la Cruz Roja (CICR), que ofrezcan ayuda humanitaria a los desplazados.
La zona del éxodo estuvo bajo control de grupos paramilitares, cuenta con siembras de cocales y es escenario de frecuentes choques armados.
EFE
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Hola todos, vamos a tener un picnic en el
Jardín Botánico a las
12PM para ayudar los desplazados en Ituango. Lo que pasa es que el pueblo de Ituango tiene apenas 5.900 habitantes pero porque hay conflicto en la región ahora tiene más que 1.500 desplazados en el pueblo (como 25% incremento de la población).
NO SE PREOCUPEN, el picnic va a ser un picnic normal con mucha diversión, risas, comida, y amigos nuevos; SIN EMBARGO, para participar con el picnic tienen que traer por lo menos unas comidas no perecederas, artículos de aseo (como papel higiénico), y/o cobijas para donar a los campesinos desplazados de Ituango.
Gracias por su apoyo.
Attn,
-Kevin Post
///ENGLISH VERSION///Source: Latin American Herald Tribune
http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=354766&CategoryId=12393--------------------------------------------
FARC Forces 1,500 Peasants off Land in Colombia
Some 1,500 peasants left their land and sought refuge in Ituango under pressure from Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, guerrillas, officials in the northwestern city said.
The peasants, who are from the hamlet of La Vega del Ingles and three other rural communities, left their land on Saturday, Ituango Mayor Carlos Mario Gallo said.
The peasants were forced off their land by the FARC’s 18th Front, which operates in the area, the mayor said, adding that the refugees were given shelter at a school.
The government of Antioquia province, where Ituango is located, public agencies and the Red Cross must provide assistance to the displaced peasants, Gallo told Caracol Radio.
The area where the peasants live was once under the control of right-wing paramilitary groups and is home to coca plantations.
Fighting among rival groups frequently takes place in the area.
Colombia, where leftist rebels and right-wing militias have been battling each other for decades, is second only to Sudan in the number of internally displaced people.
The FARC, Colombia’s oldest and largest leftist guerrilla group, was founded in 1964, has an estimated 8,000 to 17,000 fighters and operates across a large swath of this Andean nation. EFE
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Hey everyone, we are going to have a picnic in the
Jardín Botánico at
12PM to help the displaced population in Ituango. The thing is the town of Ituango has a population of about 5,900 inhabitants but because of the conflict in the region the town has more than 1,500 displaced persons (roughly a 25% increase in the local population).
DON'T WORRY, the picnic is going to be a normal picnic with fun, laughs, food and new friends; HOWEVER, to participate you have to bring at least some non-perishable food, toiletries (such as toilet paper), and/or blankets to donate to the displaced campesinos of Ituango.
Thanks for your support.
Attentively,
-Kevin Post
It's been a very long time since I've written "coming soon" for my website in the works amanofnonation.com and honestly it could be a few more months before things are up and running like they should be. Life has been very stressful and complicated for me; I'm paying for an apartment I'm not even living in, financially supporting my girlfriend while she goes for her masters in industrial engineering at the Universidad Nacional de Colombia, in a committed long distance relationship, working two jobs and just barely getting by economically. However, with all of this sacrifice and hard work I will be able to visit Colombia every two to three months until my girlfriend Tomasa del Carmen obtains a visa to the United States. For those who know me, I look forward to returning for the eighth time because Colombia is a place that has too much in store for me; enough passion and exploration for decades to come.
