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Colombia: Recruitment methods employed by paramilitary groups; whether such groups forcibly recruit adults (2000-March 2004)

Paramilitary groups recruit new members from a variety of sources, including individuals whose families have been targeted by guerrillas (Council on Foreign Relations n.d.), unemployed rural dwellers (Crimes of War Aug. 2001) and minors, who in some cases are used for intelligence gathering activities (United Nations 17 Feb. 2004). When the United Self-defence Forces of Colombia (Autodefensas Unidas de Colombia, AUC) established control over parts of Barrancabermeja in 2001, the group also sought recruits among former National Liberation Army (Ejército de Liberación Nacional, ELN) fighters, who were given the task of eliminating guerrilla sympathizers in return for a salary, a bicycle and sometimes a mobile telephone (CIP June 2001).

Paramilitary recruitment is reportedly facilitated by the fact that members are paid a higher wage than their guerrilla counterparts (Council on Foreign Relations n.d.; HRW Sept. 2003). According to Crimes of War, an American group that seeks to raise "public awareness of the laws of war and their application to situations of conflict" (Crimes of War n.d.), AUC fighters receive a base salary of between US$200 and US$400 per month, along with health insurance, social security benefits and ten days leave every four weeks (ibid. Aug. 2001). Commanders, who are selected on the basis of an established profile, are reportedly paid as much as US$4,000 per month in return for making a commitment to remain with the group for at least ten years and to lead a "unit of 50 men, divided into three groups, each of which controls an area [of] 250 hectares" (ibid.).

A number of reports published since 2001 refer to methods employed by paramilitary groups to gain new members (Colombia Peace Association Jan. 2001; El Tiempo 7 Aug. 2003; Radio Caracol 16 May 2001). For example, such groups reportedly launched an "openly publicized" recruitment campaign in Urabá, Santander and parts of Meta and Bolivar in 2000 (Colombia Peace Association Jan. 2001).

In July 2003, the authorities closed a recruitment centre in Villavicencio allegedly operated on behalf of the Peasant Self-defence Forces of Casanare (Autodefensas Campesinas de Casanare, ACC) (El Tiempo 7 Aug. 2003). Those running the office, Uriel Nieves Correa and Alexander Espinosa Sierra, allegedly received a commission of 300,000 pesos [CAN $150.60 (Bank of Canada 15 Mar. 2004)] for each new recruit (El Tiempo 7 Aug. 2003). The centre allegedly targeted unemployed young people who had been identified through a network of street vendors (ibid.). Initially offered work selling cooking utensils, individuals were subsequently referred to the ACC when they complained of the poor wages they were receiving (ibid.). Those who agreed to become paramilitary members were sent to an ACC camp located roughly 150 kilometres from Villavicencio, where they were subjected to a physical examination (ibid.). Individuals deemed in good health were then sent to a training camp, while others were given domestic chores (labores domésticas) (ibid.).

Another paramilitary recruitment centre, located north of Valle de Aburrá in Antioquia, was closed by the authorities in September 2003 (Radio Caracol 5 Sept. 2003). Seven individuals were arrested in the operation, which was carried out by the Technical Investigation Unit (Cuerpo Técnico de Investigación, CTI) of the Office of the Attorney General (Fiscalía General de la Nación) (ibid.).

While Human Rights Watch (HRW) claimed that forcible recruitment by paramilitary groups is very uncommon (Sept. 2003), a number of reports point to instances in which this has allegedly occurred (EFE 13 Aug. 2001; Radio Caracol 16 May 2001; Yahoo! Noticias 14 Feb. 2004).

In May 2001, a group of more than 150 labourers employed in an oil palm plantation in Villanueva, Casanare, were abducted by the AUC while returning home from work (Radio Caracol 16 May 2001). According to the head of the Office of the Ombudsman (Defensoría del Pueblo), Eduardo Cifuentes, all those who were under 28 years of age were forced to become AUC members (Primerapagina.com 16 May 2001).

On 13 August 2001, EFE reported that 11 young agricultural workers living in an isolated region of Casanare were kidnapped by the AUC and subsequently forced to enlist.

On 14 February 2004, police officers arrested seven suspected members of the AUC's Capital Bloc, who were accused of carrying out recruitment activities in Bogotá's southern neighbourhoods (Yahoo! Noticias 14 Feb. 2004). According to the Cundinamarca police chief, Colonel José Roberto León, the suspects sought both male and female recruits, killing those who refused to join (ibid.).

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum. Please find below the list of additional sources consulted in researching this Information Request.

References

Canada. 15 March 2004. Bank of Canada. "Currency Converter." <http://www.bankofcanada.ca/en/exchform.htm> [Accessed 15 Mar. 2004]

Center for International Policy (CIP), Washington, DC. June 2001. Adam Isacson. "'Los nuevos dueños de Barranca': Reporte del viaje de CIP a Barrancabermeja, Colombia, 6-8 de marzo de 2001." <http://www.ciponline.org/colombia/0401barresp.htm> [Accessed 12 Mar. 2004]

Colombia Peace Association, London. January 2001. Liz Atherton. "Paramilitaries Launch Recruitment Offensive." <http://www.colombiapeace.org/documents_2001_2.html> [Accessed 12 Mar. 2004]

Council on Foreign Relations, New York. n.d. "FARC, ELN, AUC." <http://cfrterrorism.org/groups/farc_print.html> [Accessed 12 Mar. 2004]

Crimes of War, Washington, DC. August 2001. "Into the Abyss: The Paramilitary Political Objective." <http://www.crimesofwar.org/colombia-mag/abyss02.html> [Accessed 12 Mar. 2004]

_____. n.d. "Objectives." <http://www.crimesofwar.org/about/about.html> [Accessed 15 Mar. 2004]

EFE. 13 August 2001. "Colombia-Death Squads Rightist Militias Forcibly Recruiting in Colombia." (Financial Times Information/NEXIS)

Human Rights Watch (HRW). September 2003. "'You'll Learn not to Cry': Child Combatants in Colombia." <http://www.hrw.org/reports/2003/colombia0903/8.htm> [Accessed 12 Mar. 2004]

Primerapagina.com. 16 May 2001. "Secuestro masivo en Villanueva es reclutamiento forzoso de las AUC denuncia la Defensoría." <http://colombia.primerapagina.com/index.asp?art=00&dc=1079295> [Accessed 12 Mar. 2004]

Radio Caracol [Bogotá]. 5 September 2003. "Descubrieron oficina de reclutamiento de autodefensas." <http://www.caracol.com.co/titular.asp?ID=99678> [Accessed 12 Mar. 2004]

_____. 16 May 2001. "Paramilitares buscan adeptos entre jornaleros en secuestro masivo de Casanare." <http://www.caracol.com.co/titular.asp?ID=48388> [Accessed 12 Mar. 2004]

El Tiempo [Bogotá]. 7 August 2003. "El CTI desmanteló oficina de los paramilitares que operaba como 'agencia de empleos'." <http://eltiempo.terra.com.co/coar/noticias/ARTICULO-WEB-_NOTA_INTERIOR-1207777.html> [Accessed 12 Mar. 2004]

United Nations. 17 February 2004. Commission on Human Rights. (E/CN.4/2004/13) Report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights on the Human Rights Situation in Colombia. <http://www.hchr.org.co/documentoseinformes/informes/altocomisionado/Informe2003_eng.htm> [Accessed 12 Mar. 2004]

Yahoo! Noticias. 14 February 2004. "Colombia-La Policía captura en Bogotá a siete paramilitares acusados de 26 asesinatos." <http://ar.news.yahoo.com/040214/11/anwd.html> [Accessed 12 Mar. 2004]

Additional Sources Consulted

Internet sites, including: Amnesty International, Conscription and Conscientious Objection Documentation, Consultoría para los Derechos Humanos, Human Rights Watch, El País [Cali], Primerapagina.com, Radio Caracol [Bogotá], Semana [Bogotá], El Tiempo [Bogotá], World News Connection.

Topics: Militias,