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COPYRIGHT BY AKADEMISCHE VERLAGSANSTALT, FL-9490 VADUZ, AEULESTRASSE 56 CARTOGRAFIA: FRANZ HUBER, MÜNCHEN M a r e

Bahia Blanca

Rawson

Río Gallegos

QUESTA PROIEZIONE EQUIVALENTE É BASATA SULLA RETE GEOGRAFICA DECIMALE DI ARNO PETERS. ESSA SPOSTA IL MERIDIANO ZERO SULLA LINEA RETTIFICATA DEL CAMBIAMENTO DI DATA - INDICATA CON IL PUNTEGGIO - E SUDDIVIDE LA SUPERFICIE TERRESTRE IN 100 RETTANGOLI LONGITUDINALI DI UGUALE LARGHEZZA E IN 100 RETTANGOLI LATITUDINALI DI UGUALE ALTEZZA. CON QUESTA PROIEZIONE SI OTTENGONO NELLA FASCIA EQUATORIALE RETTANGOLI VERTICALI CHE SI TRASFORMANO, AVVICINANDOSI AI POLI, IN QUADRATI E POI IN RETTANGOLI ORIZZONTALI. LE COORDINATE DELLA NUOVA RETE SI TROVANO AI MARGINI DELLA CARTA ACCANTO ALLE COORDINATE TRADIZIONALI.

Montevideo lat a

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SCALA DELLE SUPERFICI 1 : 635.500.000 MILIONI 1CM2 SULLA CARTA = 63.500 KM2 SULLA TERRA

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3014 Pico da Neblina

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5400

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1948

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3819

GUINEA BISSAU

Tobago

TRINIDAD E TOBAGO

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San José

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Kayes

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Bluefields

L. di Nicaragua

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Santiago

Martinica (Fr.)

Fort-de-France

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Aïr 1944

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Montserrat (Gr. Br.) Guadeloupe (Fr.)

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Zagora

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Ie. Turks (Gr. Br.)

Santiago de Cuba

Pto. Barrios

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Gr. Canaria

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Tehuantepec

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2326

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Las Palmas

Tenerife

Constantina

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N

te

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Morelia

Acapulco

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Everglades

Melilla (Spagna)

A

ra

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4240

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Algeri

Málaga Gibilterra (Gr. Br.)

Oujda

Toubkal 4165

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M a

Alicante

Sra. Nevada 3482

M AROC CO

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Ie. Canarie (Spagna)

Ie. Baleari

Siviglia

Essaouira

Ie. Andros

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S. Luis Potosi

Ie. Revilla Gigedo (Mess.)

Hawaii

West Palm Beach

Ciudad Victoria

León Guadalajara

Hilo

Ie. Bermuda (Gr. Br.)

Sardegna

Valencia

Toledo

Córdoba

Casablanca

Hamilton

Barcellona

Madrid

Tago

Rabat

Madeira (Port.)

Orlando Tampa

St. Petersburg

SPAGNA a Guadi na

Tangeri

C. Hatteras

Wilmington

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Br

San Antonio

Fresnillo

Mazatlán

Maui 4205

Lagos

Charleston

Columbus

Jackson

Matamoros Golfo Monterrey Saltillo del Messico

Durango

Capo S. Lucas

Columbia

Atlanta

Reynosa Torreón

Honolulu

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Memphis

Corpus Christi Nuevo Laredo

Culiacán

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Lisbona

Richmond Norfolk

Roanoke Raleigh Knoxville 2037

Birmingham

Dallas

dR Re

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Río del Nor

Hidalgo del Parral

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Shreveport Savannah Montgomery Waco Baton Rouge Tallahassee Jacksonville Beaumont Mobile Houston New Orleans

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R. G rand

El Paso Ciudad Juárez

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Coimbra

Komoé

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Fort Worth

Hermosillo

Ba

Cedros

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M

Rosario

Fort Smith

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Baltimore Washington

Charleston

Evansville Nashville

( U . S . A . ) Lubbock

io

Cincinnati Louisville

Little Rock

Phoenix

Long Beach Anaheim San Diego Tijuana Mexicali

Guadalupe (Mess.)

Santa Fé

Albuquerque Amarillo

Oh

Pittsburgh

Reims

G

Gallup

San Bernardino

Los Angeles

Oklahoma City

Columbus

I. Sable

Providence New Haven

New York Filadelfia

p

do

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Albany

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Las Vegas

ra

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Halifax Yarmouth

Boston

R i o Br a n c o

Santa Barbara

lo

c

Co

M. Whitney 4418

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FR AN CIA

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Fresno

San José

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St. Louis

U N I T I

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Oakland

San Francisco

Topeka

A rcansas

ippi

Sacramento

Utica

I

Kansas City Indianapolis

Denver Pueblo

o

Bacino

I I I I I I I I

I

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L. Elbert 4396

I I

I

S T A T I Cheyenne

R

Reno

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I I

I I I I I I I I I

Salt Lake City

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C. Mendocino

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I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I

Casper

St. John

Portland

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I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I

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Sioux City

BELGIO Bonn Fr LUSS.

Le Havre

Strasbgo.

Le Mans nna Lorient Digione Berna Zuri Loira Nantes SVIZZERA La Rochelle Ginevra 4808 M Limoges Lione G. di Torino Bordeaux MONACO Biscaglia S. Avignone Nizza Gen Gijón Sebastiano Pi ANDORRA F Marsiglia Bilbao Pire Valladolid Saragozza n e i Corsica

Miquelon I. Pr. C. Race (Fr.) Edoardo St. Pierre (Fr.)

Bangor

i

Minneapolis

2207

Pocatello

e

Gr. L. Salato

Gran

M. Shasta 4317

Monti Neri

e

Snak

Ottawa L. Huron St. Paul Toronto L. Michigan Milwaukee London L. Ontario Lansing Madison L. Erie Detroit Buffalo Des Moines Davenport Omaha Chicago Toledo Cleveland

Pierre

Rapid City

Boise

Colombia Haiti

Aberdeen

Billings

3426

Eugene

siss

Walla Walla

n

Salem

Campbellton

Montreal

Esbjerk

Southampton

Brest

St. John’s

Port-aux Basques

DANIMARCA

Amburg PAESI BASSI L’Aia Amsterdam

B

Québec Sudbury

Escanaba

Catalina

Corner Brook

Edinburgo Newcastle Leeds Manchester

BR ETA GN A Londra ColoniaGER Brux.

Plymouth

PO R T O G A L L O

Marquette

Mis

Portland

Ye l lo w

Lo S.

GR A N

Birmingham

Cork

Terranova

Os

Göt

Mare d. Nord

A

Butte

Blanc Sablon

Gaspé

Stavanger

Inverness

Glasgow Belfast

I. Anticosti

o nz re

Bergen

Ie. Orcadi Ie. Ebridi

L a b r a d o r

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Fargo

Bismarck

ne

Sault Ste. Marie

LIST OF THE COUNTRIES IN CONFLICT 4392 M. Rainier

Jonquière

Rouyn

Ie. Shetland

IRLANDA Dublino Liverpool

Natashquan

Sept-Îles

Åndalsnes

Tórshavn

Nig

sto

L. Superior

Duluth Mi ssissippi

g

Great Falls

Timmins

Trondh

Fær Øer (Dan.)

Limerick

Port-Cartier

Chibougamau

I S L A N DA

I I

Spokane

Fort Rupert

Hearst

Nipigon

Thunder Bay

Nain

L. Mistassini

Moosonee

L. Nipigon

Winnipeg

Akureyri

Reykjavik

I

m

Fort Albany James

Pickle Lake

Red Lake

L. Manitoba

Minot

uri Misso

bia

a Col u

Tacoma

Regina

Medicine Hat

D

Circolo Polare Artico

Goose Bay

Labrador City

5

Jan Mayen (Norv.)

rca

M

Melville

Saskatchewan

Lethbridge

A

Schefferville

Fort George

a

t

Seattle

Saskatoon

Calgary

3618

B. di

a ir

n

Victoria

Kamloops

D

Fort Severn

L. Winnipeg

ad

M. Columbia 3747

Vancouver

A

Thompson

The Pass

d e l

M

M. Waddington 3994

I. Vancouver

N

Flin Flon

Prince Albert

di

ma

(C. Farvel)

co

Ie. Regina Carlotta

A

Red Deer

n.

i an

Umanarssuaq

B a c i n o

Orino

Edmonton

M. Robson 3954

Labrador

48

West of Greenwich O° East of Greenwich

a

Ca

Fort Chimo

L. Minto

Ie. Belcher

Pur us

Dawson Creek

Prince George

n

i

Angmagssalik

I. Resolution

Puru

C

o Nels

Indian Lake

d

Godthåb

Bellin

M et a

Prince Rupert

Lynn Lake

n

Godhavn

is

i

a

B a i a d i H u d s o n

Churchill

Brochet

L. Renne

on

L. Payne

a

46

10°W

av

d

k

L. Wollaston

L. Athabasca

Povungnituk

l

( DAN .)

44

D

o

s

R.

McMurray

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f

a

M

l l

Peace

I. Mansel

Eskimo Point

42

20°W

Pangnirtung

Frobisher Bay

ds

n

i

Alessandro

o A

Ft. Vermilion

S tr. d i H u

e

d

M.Churchill 2819

Arcipel.

Ivujivik

40

30°W

Scoresbysund

B a f f i n

f f

Bacino di Foxe

I. Southampton

I. Coats

Hay River

a

o

.

G

Fort Simpson

Baker Lake

L. Dubawn

a Athab sca

Shumagin

L. Garry

Back R.

Yellowknife

Gr. Lago d. Schiavi

Whitehorse

Juneau

I. Kodiak

L. Point

Echo Bay

Ft. Norman

zie

Uranium City

Seward

Ugashik

hen

M. Hunt 2743

B

Hall Lake

Repulse Bay

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38

40°W

d i

tr

Valdez

ac

Bathurst Inlet

36

S

Dawson

M. Logan 6050

Coppermine

G B a i a

Clyde

n

M

ak

llingham

Gran Lago degli Orsi

I s o l a

34

50°W

I. Devon

Pen. di Boothia I. Re. Gugllelmo Spence Bay

a

Inuvik

32

60°W

I. Sommerset

I. Pr. di Gales

Cambridge Bay

2699

Fairbanks

6194

Anchorage

30

i

M. McKinley

28

70°W

Isola Ellesmere

I. Cornwallis

I. Bathurst

I. Melville

Fort Yukon

(U.S.A.)

26

80°W

AMERICA

M. Michelson

A l a s k a

24

90°W

I. Mackenzie King

Isola Banks

Sachs Harbour

I. Vittoria

n ko

22

I I I I I I I I I I

20

100°W

I I I I

18

110°W

I. Pr. Patrick

B e a u f o r t

Barrow

16

I

14

120°W

I I I I I I I I I I

d i

12

130°W

I I

10

140°W

I

8

I

6

150°W

I I I I I I

4

M a r e

Circolo Polare Antartico

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W e d d e l l

T

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By Amnesty International

Violence and death sentences – black holes The killing of Michael Brown, an unarmed 18 year old in Ferguson, Missouri on 9 August 2014 by agent Darren Wilson led to a series of protests which were suppressed by the police, kitted out for war, used excessive force, rubber bullets, tear gas and other instruments for dispersing the gatherings as well as threatening and intimidating reporters.

The United States is the only country in the continent still applying capital punishment, with more than 30 executions carried out in 2014.

The debate on the question has been dominated by the shortage of drugs used for carrying out the death sentences. On one hand, this had determined the suspension of several executions and on the other, unprecedented suffering by the convicts condemned to death, subjected to experiments with drugs of uncertain origin and previously unused doses and combinations.

Henry McCollum was released from death row in North Carolina after having awaited execution for 30 years.

The Guantanamo Prison Camp has still not been closed down and continues to hold more

than 150 detainees. Over the course of the year further information has come to light on the use and lethal impact of US drones in Pakistan and Yemen, while impunity continues for illegal homicides carried out by the US Forces (and NATO) in Afghanistan. The US authorities still intend to prosecute Edward Snowden for having revealed illegal communication surveillance programmes.

The political crisis which exploded after the death of President Hugo Chavez led to a strong political polarization and the Police used excessive force on non-violent protesters, while several demonstrations degenerated into acts of violence.

This same excessive use of force characterized peace-keeping operations in Brazil, during the exceptionally large demonstrations which took place before the World Football Championships in protest against the rising costs of public services, the housing crisis and the alleged squandering of money in the realization of the facilities and infrastructures for the sporting event.

In Colombia, while human rights defenders, social activists and reporters still run high risks merely for doing their jobs, negotiations between the Government and the armed opposition saw, for the first time, victims of human rights violations speak out and testify regarding the crimes they suffered during decades of conflict.

In Mexico, the Army was responsible for the illegal killing of 15 persons (including minors) in a drug warehouse, gunned down despite

the fact that they had already surrendered and did not pose any threat whatsoever. Cases of torture have increased over the last decade by 600%. In October 43 students disappeared after the Police and other unidentified persons in mufti opened fired on a protest march. Twentyeight bodies were found in a nearby mass grave but, at the time of writing, they have yet to be identified.

The year 2014 saw some progress regarding the economical, social and cultural rights of the native people. On 30 September, after decades of fighting for the recognition of their rights, the native community of Kichwa in Sarayaku received official excuses from the Government of Ecuador for the violation of human rights committed against them. On 4 October the Supreme Court of Paraguay denied the appeal against Law 5194 dated June 2014, expropriating 14.404 hectares of land, in order to return

it to its legitimate owners – the Sawhoyamaxa community – which had been trying to reclaim it for 20 years.

The fight against impunity for human rights violations committed during the military juntas of the Seventies and the Eighties have also made progress. On 23 October 2014 the La Plata Law Courts in Argentina condemned 15 ex-soldiers, police officers and civil functionaries to life in prison for cases of kidnapping, torture and the killing of tens of opponents during dictatorship from 1976 to 1983. Also in Argentina, on 15 August Estela Carlotto, founder of the Abuelas de plaza de Maya, was reunited with his grandson Guido, born in an Argentine prison in June 1978. Laura Carlotto, the mother, had been killed and Guido had been illegally adopted. The search for Guido Carlotto and the retreival of his real identity lasted 36 years.

By Giovanni Scotto

A continuously oscillating country For Europeans the Latin-American subcontinent has the fascination of an “elsewhere” we sometimes dream about. In 2014, with the passing of Gabriel Garcia Marques, Latin America lost one of its best known and loved voices – the founder of the so-called “magic realism”. In his One Hundred Years of Solitude, the Colombian writer transposes into the world of magic realism of the town of Macondo the desires and problems of Latin America: the civil war, the labyrinths of violence, the importance of memories and the catastrophe of oblivion. In this novel José Arcadio Secondo Buendìa, the sole survivor of the slaughter of the striking banana company workers, discovers that his fellow citizens have forgotten the massacre, and that everyone now agrees with the official version of the authorities: the workers peacefully resolved the protest and nothing ever happened in Macondo!

An entire continent seems constantly swaying between war and peace, poverty and development, remembering and forgetting. And it is Colombia, the birthplace of “Gabo”, that witnesses the final phase of negotiations between the Government and the guerillas from the FARC, the armed Marxist inspired group which has been in conflict with the state for years.

The negotiations, initiated in 2012 in Havana, continued in 2014 without reaching a conclusion. The presidential elections in June witnessed the re-election of Juan Manuel Santos, who had strongly desired a positive outcome of

the peace process: the consultations were also seen as a sort of referendum on the choice of negotiating with the FARC. As well as ending the armed conflict, the agenda of the Havana negotiations called for concrete actions for the development of the rural areas, a process of reintegration for the ex-combatants, ad hoc measures for transitional legislation, and the fight against drug trafficking. The challenges are complex: on one hand the FARC guerillas need credible guarantees of security before disarming (a similar process in the eighties concluded with the killing of thousands of leaders of the party created following the disarmament of the M-19 guerillas). On the other, a large part of Colombian society is suspicious and scared of those who for decades have conducted a violent armed struggle.

Today, however, the contextual conditions favour the reaching of an agreement: the country is experiencing strong economical growth, and on an international level there is a generalized support for finding a peaceful solution to the conflict.

The year 2014 ended with a unilateral ceasefire declared by the FARC. It is hoped that both the protagonists and the “international community” will do as much as possible in order to end a war that has lasted for many decades. Today peace in Colombia certainly does not belong to the world of “magic realism” of the writers, but it is within reach of the political leaders.

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Alto Commissariato delle Nazioni Unite per i Rifugiati United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees

The figures shown in the adjacent table were provided by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees UNHCR. They are official figures from the Global Trends Report 2013 published in 2014 showing the flows of refugees entering and leaving each country. For further details, please consult the full report.

REFUGEES ORIGINATING FROM COLOMBIA REFUGEES

396.635

MAIN COUNTRIES HOSTING THESE REFUGEES VENEZUELA

204.259

ECUADOR

122.276

CANADA

17.381

DISPLACED PERSONS IN COLOMBIA 5.368.138 REFUGEES HOSTED BY COLOMBIA REFUGEES

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An agreement for peace

The Pacto Nacional para la Paz was launched at the end of 2013: a political process outside official parties, supported by some of the most authoritative organizations of Colombian society committed to the construction of peace (peace association Redepaz, feminist association Ruta pacifica de las Mujeres, etc). The objective is to influence the Government and the FARC (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia) on several central prospectives for the realization of real peace (postconflict reconciliation, democratic broadening, a fair economic system, teaching peace) and involving the population in the realization of these goals.

UNHCR/ B. Heger

2014 was marked most of all by discussions on the victims of the war. These reinforced the proposal of a Comision de la Verdad whose main task would be to reconstruct facts, starting out from direct testimonies. Such a proposal, first formulated in 2013 by the Santos Government, has finally been accepted by the FARC rebels.

Furthermore, both parties have accepted that the victims participate directly in the peace process - up until now this has never been granted to civil society (who participated in the national and regional Forums organized by the United Nations Organization and the National University, during which the steps of the peace process were discussed, developing consultation proposals sent to Havana). In essence, they have accepted that several delegations of victims, up to 12 persons, will participate in the negotiations at each of the meetings planned for the finalization of the agreements. Approximately 1700 war victims also participated in a Forum in August – the same number registered in the previous three regional Forums. Rumours of a possible meeting between the ELM (2500 soldiers) and the Government were confirmed in 2014: in January they started their exploratory phase, aiming at achieving another peace process. The President of Ecuador, Rafael Correa, revealed there have already been some initial conversations in his country and that he will act as guarantor for the process, somewhat similar to what Chavez had done with the FARC rebels.

Once again Brazil, Chile, Cuba and Venezuela will accompany them. In July of the same year a first partial agreement resulting from these meetings between ELN and the Santos Government was made public. In the meantime a system of intercepting communications, organized by a part of the armed forces, for illegally controlling the Havana talks and various personalities (not only political) implicated in the process, was discovered. This is part of an illegal strategy, which exists alongside the struggle, conducted by the block of political, economical and military

COLOMBIA

General Information Official Name:

Republic of Colombia

Flag:

103

Present situation and latest developments

Main Languages:

Spanish

Capital:

BogotĂ

Population:

49 milioni

Area:

1.141.748 square km

Religions:

Catholic (92%), Protestant, Animist and other denominations (8%)

Currency:

Colombian Peso

Primary Exports:

Cocaine, coffee, coal, emeralds

Gdp Per Capita:

US$ 10.671

power which considers former President Uribe (now Senator) its spokesman. Homicides and attacks on sensitive targets close to the FARC rebel groups characterized the second half of 2014. Therefore, it is now very clear that a general strategy has been organized in order to halt the peace process. The legislative and presidential elections (March-June 2014) have confirmed the leadership of Santos and the groups of political parties which support him, but also that the power of the groups legally contrasting the process remains substantial.

a territorial expansion and a military growth of the guerillas following the ascent of the paramilitary groups, the crisis and collapse of the State, and the irruption and diffusion of the power of drug-trafficking. The conflict has retained its present conformation since the midnineties: on one side, a war based on terror and the total annihilation of the opposing guerrillas, and on the other, the army and the paramilitary.

The initial reasons for the conflict fall into second place compared to the military victory and the conservation of each side's control over the land. Drug-trafficking needs to maintain a state of war because it is congenial for its trade, and is the main source of economy for all the sectors involved in the armed conflict.

The reason for the fighting

Paramilitary troops still in action

A new “Dirty war” has been taking place in Colombia since 2012 when the Marcha Patriotica – a political non-party formation representing part of the interests of the farmer and student movement, was created. After less than two years, the actions of the paramilitary troops - authorized by the army and the organized extreme right, have caused the death of 60 militants, and many persons have suffered threats or other types of violence such as incarceration for political reasons.

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Due to the complex dynamics of this war, Colombia is the country with the longest-lasting armed conflict, without negotiations, in the world. In a first period, between 1958 and 1982, there was a proliferation of many types of guerilla groups fighting mainly against the enormous unfairness represented by the concentration of the land and the working conditions in the countryside, but also for overcoming the social oppression of the political oligarch ruling the nation which has excluded from the political system all those representing a socialist or democratic alternative. The State is fighting because it believes that the economical situation is legitimate and that the system of political participation is democratic. The war remains marginal. Between 1982 and 1996 there was

UNHCR/ J. Arredondo

The actual peace process began at the end of 2012 and is the result of an agreemente between the Colombian Government and the FARC (Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Comombia). This war started at the end of the 60s with the formation of several communist guerrilla groups, and the guerrillas groups multiplied in the 70s and the 80s (approximately 30). In this period, with the irruption of drug-trafficking, both the actors in the war and its political nature change. This is due to the fact that, at the end of the 70s, paramilitary groups paid by the agrarian oligarchy were formed with the consent of a part of the high ranks of the Army.

These initially defended the interests of the large land owners and important businessmen, threatened by the guerrilla which forces them to pay sanctions and damages them by extorting huge sums of money through kidnapping.

These groups were later also recruited by the drug-trafficking cartels, who became another important economical and political power in the 80s when Pablo Escobar ruled and organized bloody attacks on all the political leaders who

attempt to establish themselves without having come to an agreement with him. At least 140 paramilitary groups operating in the area have been formed, several candidates for president of the Republic have been killed and an entire political party, the Union Patriotica (UP), has been exterminated. The UP is a party created by the FARC: its objective is to prepare the way for an eventual conversion of the military power of the FARC into political power. But most of the country's right-wing has organized a “dirty war” to eliminate those who, according to them, support FARC leadership. The ferocious crime against the UP has been defined by the United Nations as a political genocide because the victims of this strategy number approximately five million. The paramilitary troops, therefore, have been used to replace the army in the most brutal operations which are explicitly detrimental to human rights and habeas corpus.

At the beginning of the 90s, a part of these groups signed a peace agreement – the only one that the country has actually ever recognized, thanks mainly to the creation of a new

General outline

TENTATIVES FOR PEACE

The San José de Apartado Peace Community: 17 years of non-violent resistance

(Bogotá, 24 october 1962) Ivan Cepeda has distinguished himself for his courage and political coherence. Son of Manuel Cepeda, lawyer and politician linked to the UP member assassinated in 1994 by two State agents, Ivan has been a representative of the left-wing Democratic Pole Party in Parliament since 2010. He was re-elected Senator in the general elections in 2014. Once elected he conducted a legal battle against ex-President Uribe - openly accusing him of having helped create the paramilitary organizations, of supporting their actions and of having been linked with drug-trafficking. For this reason he is being subjected not only to death threats but also legal actions triggered by Uribe because he is accused of having had connections with the FARC rebel groups. He also actively supported the re-election of Santos, after having established a political agreement which bound the re-election not only to the commitment to complete the peace process, but also to sustain the approval of actions defending civil and social rights.

The official spokesperson for MOVICE (Victims of State Crimes Movement), he has fought for years against the system of violence widely used outside specific war environments (sexual abuse, the brutality of the prison system, illegal appropriation of land, etc).

105

Ivan Cepeda

Situated in the Antioquia Department in North-west Colombia, San José de Apartado declared itself a “peace community” on 23 March 1997. Because of its strategic position it represents a sought-after area for the actors of the armed conflict. Today the mainly agricultural community sells its produce through a fair trade system. As well as prohibiting any kind of weapon on its premises, it is committed to not directly participating in the war, to not supporting any of the conflicting parties and to not allowing the military contingents to cross their land. The community has the support of the Apartado Diocese, of NGOs and international organizations. The presence of international civil society observers helps to defend it from attacks by military groups. Approximately 170 members of the community have been assassinated by military groups in 17 years of nonviolent resistance. The objective is to create humanitarian zones in the various Colombian Departments where fighting is present, in order to protect the civilian population.

UNHCR/F. Fontanini

Constitution, partly the result of the political mobilization of the organized society in the 80s and the political decision of some armed groups, such as EPL (Ejercito popular de liberacion). Following this, it is the FARC and the ELN, the two most numerous and oldest guerrilla groups who still remain active, and, after the genocide of the UP, the former renounces a political strategy for a solution of conflict. Despite the killing in 1993 of Escobar, head of the most important cartel, drug-trafficking continues to be a determining force – it regularly corrupts part of the army and the Colombian institutions, and exists alongside the guerrilla whose main source of income comes from drug-trafficking. Therefore, a new phase of the war is generated: the FARC become militarily stronger and the paramilitary groups multiply, even independently from the

THE PROTAGONISTS

old drug-trafficking bosses.

In 2002 Uribe Velez, the direct expression of the interests that have created paramilitarism, became President of the Republic. He called for the immediate US intervention and declares that there is no war in Colombia but only a terrorism problem. Uribe reinforces the army with a total of half a million units, equipped with special teams directly trained in the USA and new war technology. In these years the FARC endure harsh defeats, but, at the same time, demonstrate that they are able to resist despite the enormous military efforts of the State. This is the reason why Juan Manuel Santos, Uribe's former Defence Minister, decided, once he had been elected President of the Republic in 2010, to recognize the existence of the armed conflict and initiate informal contact with the FARC who, two years later, generate the present peace process. Behind this, however, from 1985 up until today, there have been approximately six million civilian victims (deaths and victims of violence).

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Alto Commissariato delle Nazioni Unite per i Rifugiati United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees

The figures shown in the adjacent table were provided by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees UNHCR. They are official figures from the Global Trends Report 2013 published in 2014 showing the flows of refugees entering and leaving each country. For further details, please consult the full report.

REFUGEES ORIGINATING FROM HAITI REFUGEES

38.660

MAIN COUNTRIES ACCEPTING THESE REFUGEES UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

25.891

CANADA

7.872

The former President dies of a heart-attack

The former president of Haiti, 63 year old Jean-Claude Duvalier, died of a heart-attack in Part-au-Prince in October 2014. The Haitian ex-dictator had remained in power from 1971 to 1986, replacing (at only 17 years old) his father Francois Duvalier who had guided the country in tyranny from 1957 up until his death. Jean Claude Duvalier, nicknamed “Baby Doc�, had been overthrown by a popular revolution and had returned to Haiti in 2011 after 25 years of exile in France. Like his father, he was accused of corruption as well as abuse of human rights and repression as well as being indicted on many charges. His death ends one of the most tragic periods in the history of Haiti.

UNHCR/ A. M. Casares

The year 2014 ended for Haiti with a serious political crisis. Following months of anti-government protests and clashes, Prime Minister Laurent Lamothe resigned on 14 December. His replacement President Michel Martelly nominated Evans Paul as Prime Minister whose task was to form the new Government in an atmosphere of great tension. The main reason for the popular protests across the country, particularly in the capital Port-au-Prince were the accusations of corruption towards the Government and President Michel Marelly who, to the contrary of the Prime Minister, chose to remain firmly in his position.

The opposition also applied pressure on the Government in order to obtain the liberation of the political leaders imprisoned during the wave of protests in October who had never been brought before a judge to legitimate the accusations and detention. Helping the Haitian Police repress the demonstrations were the UN peace-keeping forces, deployed on the island with the MINUSTAH (United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti) Mission. One protester was shot and killed during the protests while he and others attempted to enter the Presidential Palace.

Despite the resignation of the Prime Minister the situation on the island remains very tense and protests will very likely continue. There is an atmosphere of revolt, also due to the fact that elections have not been held in Haiti since 2011 when Martelly won with 60% of the preferences.

Also exasperating the population is the extremely serious situation the country is experiencing five years after the earthquake which caused the death of 200.000 people and one and a half million displaced persons.

According to data supplied by various humanitarian organizations working to aid the population, approximately 85.000 Haitians still live in temporary accommodation, often without bathrooms, drinkable water, electricity or gas. More than half are children.

Despite some headway being made in recon-

HAITI

General Information Official Name:

Republic of Haiti

Flag:

107

Present situation and latest developments

Main Languages:

French

Capital:

Port-au-Prince

Population:

10.170.000

Area:

27.750 square km

Religions:

Catholic, Protestant churches, Voodoo

Currency:

Haitian Gourde

Primary Exports:

None, only subsistence economy

Gdp Per Capita:

US$ 1.229

struction and the repression of a terrible cholera epidemic which now seems to be under control, Haiti is still struggling to get back onto its feet and remains the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. Its economy, concentrated mainly in the metropolitan area of the capital Port-auPrince, is fragile and still depends almost completely on international aid.

It is estimated that more than 14 billion dollars have been spent on reconstruction and the humanitarian emergency since 2010, but the Haitian population continues to suffer.

of Haitians now risk alimentary and nutritional instability. The national economy is on its knees and Haitian industrial production is extremely low.

One contour of the war amongst the poor, triggered by these conditions of extreme poverty and social insecurity, is the MINUSTAH, the UN multinational force that has the task of stabilizing the area. A dirty and difficult job considering that blue-helmeted soldiers have been snubbed by the local population since the day they arrived as they are considered to be an “occupational force”. There have been many, a great many, far too many, cases of abuse by the UN troops.

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Toady in Haiti today there is no longer fighting in the streets like several years ago. The criminal bands who raged across the nation seem to have almost completely disappeared.

The war currently being fought in Haiti is a different one: one for survival. Haitian politics have never been able to provide solutions to the people's problems because they have always been subjected to the strong powers and economical interests of the great international forces. Haiti still does not have a stable Government and in the meanwhile people are dying of hunger, sometimes of thirst and very often of simple pathologies. But there is fighting even for a piece of bread, and thousands

The reason for the fighting

UNICEF, some improvements

On the anniversary of the tragic earthquake in Haiti on 12 January 2010, UNICEF published a Report entitled “The situation of children and women in Haiti” which highlighted some improvement regarding the safeguard and living conditions of the Haitians, especially minors. According to UNICEF, there has been a decrease in the death rate under 5 years of age and over the last 10 years acute malnutrition has been halved (from 10% to 5%), while chronic malnutrition went from 29% to 22% in the same period.

The juridical situation regarding the protection of children has also improved: it has been strengthened through the promulgation of laws and ratification of conventions.

UNICEF also reports a significant resumption of scholastic activities: more than 1600 tents were supplied to 225 schools hit by the earthquake to enable them to start lessons again after the disaster.

Over 80.000 children have been able to attend schools in 193 semipermanent schools set up after the earthquake.

UNHCR/ Pean

A Spanish, then French colony, independent since the first successful revolt by slaves in 1804, Haiti has a complex history characterized by continuous military dictatorships which led to United States Army occupation between 1915 and 1934. In that period, semi-peaceful Haitian resistance was inspired by its own culture and the voodoo religion. The black population was the protagonist with the popular agitator Doctor François “Papa Doc” Duvalier as their leader.

The Americans left in 1934, leaving a ruined economy. Many Haitians emigrated to Santo Domingo in order to seek work which led to racial and economical tensions tragically terminating in ethnic cleansing causing 20.000 Haitian victims. Still troubled by the conflict between the black and mulatto populations, the island remained dependent on the United States and was governed, dictator-style, by “Doc” Duvalier until his death in 1971. Leadership then passed on to his son Jean-Claude, known as Baby Doc, who attempted mediation between the mulatto “modernizers” while simultaneously brutally

eliminating all his opponents. In addition to the political crisis there was also an economical one at the beginning of the 1980s. Haiti was deemed a high-risk area for Aids and tourism dropped drastically. Then an American programme for wiping out a swine disease further damaged the rural economy with the erroneous slaughtering of 1.7 million animals.

A people's revolt broke out in 1986 and Baby Doc Duvalier and his family were forced to flee the country. A temporary military junta was formed.

Duvalier's adviser Lieutenant General Henri Namphy was nominated President but a Catholic organization, led by a young priest called Jean-Bertrand Aristide, opposed him.

The 1987 elections were won with a large majority by Namphy, but within one year another coup brought to power another general – Prosper Avril. Avril was forced to flee in 1990 and Aristide ran for president in new elections held that year. His slogan 'Lavalas' convinced a great number of people to vote for him. His success

General outline

The Italian Red Cross village

“Village Haitien Solferino”, an urban settlement of 53 houses, was inaugurated in Haiti in 2014.

The project is the outcome of the work of the Italian Red Cross and its Haitian fellow association, and only Haitian workers were involved in its realization. The project is part of a wider programme of concrete aid for the Haitian people which also foresees the construction of an industrial complex, a school, a library and other structures for the youths and children of the Croix de Bouquet Quarter.

TENTATIVES FOR PEACE

Italian Sports Centre for Haiti

On 27 July 2014 an international cooperation project promoted by the Italian Sports Centre was launched in Haiti. The aim of the mission is to give some joy to the Haitian street children and orphans who, four years on from the disastrous earthquake, still live in precarious conditions. Training courses for managers and trainers have been funded there with the goal of realizing recreational activities, an ISC headquarters has been created in the capital Port-Au-Prince and for 2-3 years missions will be carried out nation-wide to help the new managers understand the system and fully run the new sporting structure. Sport represents an ulterior social incentive in developing countries - it is an activity which teaches values, unites, and is fundamental for the children's growth. It is possible to participate in the missions if you are a member of the ISC and have completed a training course, in order to help these youngsters grow in serenity.

Evans Paul

The new Prime Minister of Haiti is a long-standing politician. Exreporter, known in the country as K-Plim or The Pen, Evans Paul was Mayor of Port-auPrince and a prominent figure on the Haitian scene in the '90s.

His political alliance with Jean Bertrand Aristide, controversial former President of Haiti overthrown in 2004 by a popular protest, permitted him to gain the throne of the first citizen of the capital in 1990. However, Paul then distanced himself from Aristide and became, instead, one of his harshest critics. Former President of the Democratic United Committee and then leader of the Convergence Democratique, Evans Paul was also a candidate for the presidential elections in 2006, obtaining only 2.5% of the votes. Today he is the leader of the Haitian Government. His nomination was announced on Twitter by President Martelly, while the popular protest against political corruption continues in the country.

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(Port-au-Prince - 25 November 1955)

UNHCR/J. Tanner

was brief and he was overthrown by a military coup in 1991. The United Nations responded with a total embargo, followed by an US military operation which forced the Army to back down. Therefore Aristide was able to return to the country in 1994 and regain leadership, but he did this during a total economical crisis and in a serious atmosphere of violence. In the legislative elections held in June 1995, the opposition accused the candidates supported by him of cheating. The presidential elections in December of that year were won by René Preval.

Violence in the country did not stop and in 1996 the United Nations Safety Council extended its military mission on the island and the situation degenerated in January 1999 when Preval dismissed the majority of the parliamentary members.

Tension increased even further, as well as the

THE PROTAGONISTS

level of violence, during the presidential elections in November 2000, won by former President Aristide.

Conflict between the majority and the opposition was extremely violent and did not diminish. In 2004 the rebels formed the Artibonite Resistance Front, took several cities and forced Aristide to resign and leave the country.

Pressured by international public opinion, the blue-helmeted soldiers arrived on the island on 30 April 2004 in an attempt to subdue the violence caused by the people's revolt which contributed to Aristide's expulsion. Boniface Alexandre was nominated interim President and Gerard Latortue was nominated Prime Minister, with a commitment to hold new legislative elections by 2005. Elections took place in 2006 and Haitian agronomist Réné Garcia Préval was elected President. The last presidential elections took place in 2011 and today the people demand to be able to vote once again using every means available to them.

Also Messico

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“Drug-trafficking, politics and violence.

An impossible country for journalists”.

Organized crime, drug-trafficking, profound corruption of the political classes and the Police are dragging Mexico into an increasingly brutal and uncontrolled spiral of violence. The dossiers of all the organizations fighting for the safeguard of reporters now describe it as the most dangerous country for the profession of reporters (together with Syria). But life in Mexico is not only dangerous for the media workers.

In the big cities such as those near the border (with the United States where the drug-trafficking cartels fight over control of the territory) and in the Southern states of the country which were once a paradise for tourists, violent murders, decapitations and disappearances are now an uncontrollable problem, all too often committed with the complicity of politicians and members of the law enforcement agencies.

The year 2014 in particular will be remembered in the country for the incredible case of 43 “desaparecidos” students which triggered protest demonstrations all over Mexico.

This episode took place in the State of Guerrero, in the South-east of Mexico. In September 2014 a group of students from the Ayotzinapa High School (famously left-wing and known for forming politically active teachers, involved in organizing protests against political corruption) disappeared leaving no trace. According to reconstruction by the Mexican authorities, they were victims of a horrendous pact between José Luis Abarca, Mayor of the city of Iguala (State of Guerrero), his wife Maria de los Angeles Pineda and the Guerreros Unidos, the armed group linked to the Beltran Leyva drugtrafficking cartel. According to a reconstruction

by Attorney General José Murillo Karam, the students had planned to participate in a demonstration in the city of Igualda protesting the “discriminatory methods in the employment of new professors”, but on the same day there was to be a rally organized by the mayor's wife, whose brothers were prominent figures of the Guerreros Unidos group. The Police were apparently ordered by the Mayor to prevent the demonstration “at all costs” so as not to “disturb” the Mayor's wife's public meeting.

The Mexican police even opened fire on some school buses transporting the young people, killing three of them. The other students were allegedly taken into custody by the agents and then sold to the Guerreros Unidos gang in order to get rid of them.

On 3 October 2014 a mass grave was discovered near Iguala and the remains of the students were identified. Despite the fact that the authorities claim to have finished reconstructing the facts, the families of the victims continue to protest, accusing the Government and the local authorities of wanting to quickly close a horrendous chapter in the history of Mexico, emblem of the incredible level of complicity which exists between politics, the authorities entrusted with the protection of the citizens and the drug-trafficking cartels. This case of young “desaparecidos” is only the latest in a long series of atrocious homicides in the Iguala area but it has caused a wave of international indignation forcing the Government, silent as usual, to intervene. This is the first real internal crisis for Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto: the resignation of several local politicians and the head of Police as well as the arrest of the Mayor of Iguala and his wife, will without doubt not be enough to calm the protests of the vanished students' families, who threaten to contact international organizations in order to call for justice.