E/CN.4/1995/111
page 21
detentions, 43 were tortured in the place where they were detained, 94 in the
army barracks of the Nueva Granada Battalion, 52 in the Battalion’s own
installations and 21 were first tortured on military bases and then taken to
the Battalion, where the torture continued. Torture was also reported to have
occurred in other military and police installations in the jurisdiction" such
as those of the Luciano D’Luyer and Calibio Battalions. 25/
64.
The existence of guerrilla organizations practising extortion and
abduction led to the creation during the 1960s of the so-called "self-defence
groups", armed and trained by the armed forces, in whose counterinsurgency
campaigns they assisted. These groups are considered as the origin of the
paramilitary groups that emerged in the beginning of the 1980s with the
appearance of the Muerte a Secuestradores (MAS) (Death to Abductors) and that
continue to operate in the region. They appear to be particularly predominant
in El Carmen, San Vicente de Chucurí, Puerto Wilches and Sabana de Torres
(Santander), in the rural area of San Pablo (south of Bolívar) and in the
petroleum areas of El Centro in Barrancabermeja. At the end of 1993, in
the surrounding area of Sabana de Torres (Santander), groups known as
"motosierras" ("chainsaws") made their presence; they were so named for their
use of chainsaws to mutilate the bodies of their victims. In the area of the
south of Cesar (San Alberto) and the south of Bolívar (San Pablo, Simiti),
some 23 paramilitary groups are said to be active, despite the strong presence
of the National Army.
65.
In the framework of operations against the guerrillas, the army, at times
together with paramilitary groups, has engaged in intimidation, harassment,
killings and, in many cases, massacres that in some regions have provoked
population displacement. For example, in San Pablo, in the south of Bolívar,
in 1993 there were around 50 cases of displacement of families as a result of
"rastrillo" ("rake") operations of the 2nd Mobile Brigade.
66.
As for the insurgent groups, they continue carrying out abductions and
abuses, also against the civilian population. The ELN has been accused of
placing mines ("quiebrapatas") that, specially in the rural areas of
San Vicente de Chucurí, have resulted in cases of mutilation, including of
children. Drug trafficking is also present in the municipalities of
La Dorada, Caldas, Puerto Boyacá and Puerto Berrio.
67.
It was also reported that common crime has begun to emerge as another
element of violence in Barrancabermeja and its zone of influence. In the
urban centres, youth gangs engaging in robbery and other crimes have been
formed.
C.
Valle del Cauca
68.
The department of Valle del Cauca, the economic, political and military
centre of the south-west of Colombia, presents a complex situation of violence
in rural and urban areas. With 1,138 violent deaths, the department ranks
third in the statistics published by Justicia y Paz for the year 1993. The
Procuradoría General de la Nación received 107 complaints in 1993, 37 per cent
less than in 1992. However, during his visit to Cali, the Special Rapporteur
on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions was informed that the
level of violence has not decreased: during the first six months of 1994,
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