Foreign Policy Forum - Discussion with Gimena Sánchez-Garzoli

THE NEW U.S.-COLOMBIA SECURITY PARTNERSHIP-HUMAN RIGHTS, HUMANITARIAN AND OTHER IMPLICATIONS Please join us for a timely discussion examining the security, human rights and humanitarian implications of the new U.S.-Colombia security partnership. Since taking office on August 7, President Abelardo de la Espriella has shifted dramatically away from the previous government’s Total Peace policy toward a hardline “mano dura” security strategy centered on strengthening the armed forces; security cooperation with the U.S. and Israel; and joining the Shield of the Americas initiative. Presently, 27,000 members of illegal armed groups belonging to guerrilla and regrouped paramilitary organizations operate throughout Colombia. De la Espriella has given these groups 30 days to submit to justice or face a large-scale military offensive. He plans to carry out these operations by reviving the previously U.S. co-funded initiatives Plan Colombia and Plan Patriota. Of note, the State Department announced on August 10 that it will be giving Colombia a $1 billion security package. At the same time, Colombia suffered a devastating earthquake on August 10 that left hundreds dead or missing and approximately 1.2 million people requiring humanitarian assistance, placing additional pressure on already strained state institutions and vulnerable communities, including rural, Afro descendants and Indigenous. This discussion will assess what these overlapping crises mean for Colombia’s security trajectory and consider the implications in terms of civilian protection, humanitarian response and support for conflict-and disaster-affected communities.