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Friday October 26, 2007

ECAP-Colombia clarifies the purpose of its mission for peace

William Delgado, BOGOTA, Colombia, January 23, 2007

“When communities believe that our presence is of help to them in their search for Taxi Heathrow Airport peace, for the needed recognition of some basic rights; the right to live without being threatened with violence or death, and the right to organize themselves, we can accompany them in those processes,” indicates Way, a member of ECAP (Spanish initials for Christian Teams for Action for Peace).

Way also explained how the majority of Colombians have lived all their life in the middle of a fifty year old war. Because of that, “The communities that we accompany have the wisdom with which to make the best decisions,” she said.

La Ecapera, as the member of ECAP is known, tells of how on a visit to the mining region in the south of the Bolivar department, “Julián Gutiérrez and I heard a priest speaking about the threats he feels because of the occupation of his town by the army. This priest works very closely with artisan miners of the region who are being threatened by the Colombian military. He invited us to take a walk around the town, so as to show the army that the national and international community is accompanying him and the miners.”

Way narrated a similar episode, explaining how on a visit to the southern zone of Bolivar, “at dawn Julián and I left in a public transportation truck, and when we had only just left the town, some twenty police stopped and boarded the truck. The driver complained that the police unit does the same every day. The police traveled in the back of the truck for nearly a half hour, putting at risk the lives of the driver and the other civilian passengers,” she said. “We explained to the driver what our work is, and suggested that he speak with the police about this incident. The sergeant in charge of the unit was very surprised when he saw us and we told him about our concerns for the passengers. We reminded him that his actions were a violation of the International Humanitarian Law, because the truck was a civilian vehicle. His reply was that the driver wanted to take them. We emphatically said that it is not very easy to say no, to twenty armed men,” Way continued sharing. She also explained that the following month an international delegation of ECAP World be visiting the zone. “We hope that that will be an opportunity for other persons to learn to listen,” the representative of the civil organization finished saying.

Christian Teams for Action for Peace – ECAP – Colombia is a community made up of trained voluntaries from different cultures that form ECAP, “an international and ecumenical organization that collaborates in base initiatives to expose and transform structures of dominance and oppression through active non-violence, and making possible a world where respect, justice and love exist, including for our enemies.”