The political situation in Colombia DE LA CHAPELLE Anne Laure DECOUVELAERE Antoine GERAULT Charles-Henri

General Presentation Government type:republic Administrative divisions: 32 departments /1 capital distric Independence:20 July 1810 (from Spain) Constitution:5 July 1991 Legal system:based on Spanish law Executive branch: Chief of state: President Alvaro URIBE Velez Vice President: Francisco SANTOS Collapse of Gran Colombia in 1830: 3 countries: Colombia, Ecuador and Venezuela Area: 1,038,700 km² Capital: Bogota Boundaries: Panama, Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru, Brazil Coastlines: Caribbean Sea, North Pacific Ocean Currency (code):Colombian peso (COP) GDP per Capita: $7,565

General Presentation Population:43,593,035 (2006) Age structure: 0-14 years: 30.3% 15-64 years: 64.5% 65 years and over: 5.2% Median age:total: 26.3 years Population growth rate:1.46% (2006) Ethnic groups: mestizo 58%, white 20%, mulatto 14%, black 4%, mixed black-Amerindian 3%, Amerindian 1% Religions: Roman Catholic 90% other 10% Languages:Spanish

Political Situation Though Colombia is one of the oldest democracy in Latin America, and its economic growth increasing, its History is full of violence and political instability. What is the actual political situation? 3 Powers fighting: Guerilla organisations (FARC, ELN,…) Paramilitary organisations Colombian military

FARC: Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia 12,000-18,000 members (approximately 20 to 30% of them children under 18 years of age) FARC are present in 35-40% of Colombia's territory The FARC has proclaimed itself a politico-military Marxist-Leninist organization. It funds itself principally through extortion, kidnapping and their participation in the illegal drug trade.

AUC: United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia = Paramilitary Groups 20 000 militants Initial goal of paramilitary forces: protect the population from Guerillas, because the Colombian state has historically failed to do so. Primary objective of AUC: protect its sponsors and its supporters from insurgents and their activities. They fight against FARC. 70% of the operational cost is financed by Drug Trafic, the rest comes from “donations” of sponsors. They kill civils if they have any link with Guerillas The AUC is considered to be a terrorist organization by multiple countries and organizations, including the United States and the European Union.

Colombian Military Forces DRUG DRUG DRUG DRUG DRUG FARC Paramilitary Forces DRUG DRUG Colombian Government ARMY: - War against Drug Trafic - War against Kidnapping - War against Terrorism

Some problems that should be solved Drug Drug traffic finance the different paramilitary forces First producer of cocaine in the world Kidnapping About 1600 peoples are retained in Columbia, most by the revolutionary army forces Corruption People accept it because they fear the consequence of fighting against it

Possible solutions Legalize drug Don’t give place to the FARC This had already been proposed in Columbia Pressure of the USA Don’t give place to the FARC Develop the urbanization Problem of the Amazonian forest

Possible solutions (2) Oblige paramilitary forces to demobilize Lastly, the Columbian government obliged the AUC’ military leader to turn himself in if he wanted to be extradited from USA The AUC planned to demobilize completely by 2006