Meeting with the British Embassy. Photo by @UKinColombia.

On October 22, PBI-Colombia tweeted: “We thank the @UKinColombia for supporting peacebuilding in #Colombia, above all for its solidarity with the @cdpsanjose [Peace Community of San José de Apartadó], accompanied by organizations such as PBI, @dhColombia and @OpColombaApg23 [Operazione Colomba].”

That same day it tweeted: “Thanks @NoruegaenCOL for listening to @cdpsanjose of the #Uraba #Colombia accompanied by @dhColombia @OpColombaApg23 and PBI on serious risks in San José de #Apartado, impunity and breaches of international standards in serious violations of #DDHH [human rights].”

It also tweeted: “We thank @France_Colombia for solidarity and support to the @cdpsanjose, especially in these worrisome moments in terms of the violation of the #DDHH in the region.”

And on October 20, PBI-Colombia tweeted: “We thank the embassy of @SwedeninCOL for receiving the @cdpsanjose, accompanied by PBI, and for their support and solidarity. It is essential that the international community continue to express its concern about violations of the #DerechosHumanos in the region.”

PBI-Colombia had also tweeted: “Juliette de Rivero @ONUHumanRights meets with @cdpsanjose, @dhColombia @OpColombaApg23 and PBI Colombia, to learn about the constitutional and security crisis in San José de Apartadó #Uraba#Colombia without being guaranteed #ddhh for victim communities.”

The Peace Community of San José de Apartadó is located more than 700 kilometers northwest of Bogota in the mountainous northern region in the department of Antioquia.

They have posted this update about their situation.

“Once again, our Peace Community of San José de Apartadó sees the need to record before the country and the world the latest events of which we have been victims by paramilitarism that continues to act at ease in our region without being disturbed by any competent authority, because it has its economic and political support, which makes it strong to subject the peasantry to its projects.

The paramilitaries, as since the beginning of 2017, are forcing the civilian population to meet with them and to instill terror in those meetings, groups of them participate in camouflaged uniforms and with long weapons; thus they believe that their orders and directives are obeyed by the civilian population.

San José de Apartadó has become a scenario of yoke and dictatorship by politicians, businessmen, military forces and paramilitaries since all of them coexist in this region and each other is not harmed because the damages are suffered by the peasant who has to submit to all these actions of oppression.”

On March 23, 1997, the Peace Community was formed. The farming community declared itself neutral in the armed conflict and rejected the presence of all the armed groups in its territory.

PBI-Colombia began accompanying them in 1999.

PBI-Colombia has stated: “PBI will stand by the Community in this dignified struggle until they have security guarantees and the life they long for and deserve.”

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