Government Aircraft Bombing and Machine-gunning Rural Homes in Meta
News from Colombia |
on: Tuesday, 24 January 2012
The SINTRAGRIM Meta department agricultural workers’ union has reported indiscriminate bombardments and machine gunnings by aircraft during operations by the army’s 7th Brigade along with the 21st Vargas battalion. The attacks have damaged peasant homes and have spread fear among the local population.
According to the SINTRAGRIM report one peasant claimed that “we don’t know what to do, whether to run away or stay. If we leave they’ll steal our animals and rob our houses, but if we stay it could cost us our lives.”
The same peasant also said “we’re afraid that afterwards the military will come and mistreat us – it’s what the military always does around here.”
SINTRAGRIM has asked that international humanitarian law be respected by the armed forces, since this prohibits the targeting of civilian goods and infrastructure, and demand that government forces guarantee the rights of the rural population.
