Colombia in the midst of pandemic

Many people have asked me how things are going in Colombia as the pandemic wears on, so I thought I would start a collection of information and stories. The Colombian government instituted nation-wide stay at home orders starting on March 25, which are currently scheduled to continue until May 31.

I may update this hodge-podge of curated links in the future, so please feel free to let me know if you have a resource to suggest or a particular question or issue you’re wondering about. Some of these are specifically related to the novel corona virus, while others are simply a reminder of the ongoing concerns for Colombia’s future hopes for peace with justice.

1. As is true in every place I know of, the most impoverished Colombians are the most vulnerable to this virus and to the precarious economic conditions that accompany efforts to control its spread. Local governments and national agencies have provided some food aid and bonus payments, but it doesn’t go far and hasn’t reached all of Colombia’s residents in need. Churches and community groups do what they can. Colombian Vice President Marta Lucía Ramírez said the pandemic could undo 20 years of poverty reduction in Colombia (Colombia Reports, April 21). A call for people in need to fly a red flag (or garment) in the window spread around social media last month, and a photo essay from the small city of Florencia in southern Colombia shares some of the faces of those who are spending quarantine hungry (Washington Post, May 10).
2. The number of confirmed cases  of COVID-19 in Colombia has grown at a steady rate over the past four weeks, with the number increasing by about 40% each week, an average of 5% per day. On May 19 nearly 17,000 had been confirmed in Colombia, and 613 people had died. Bogotá has the largest number of cases–nearly 6,000–and the Atlántico province, where Barranquilla is located, has moved into second place in the country with close to 2,000 confirmed cases, passing Valle del Cauca (where Cali is located) which has almost 1,900. Colombia’s major cities have all increased capacity for medical care with field hospitals set up in convention centers, parks, and stadiums. Two months into shelter-in-place, many people are restless and even more are increasingly desperate for basic sustenance, but growing numbers could quickly get out of control (Colombia Reports May 17).
3. The growing impact on indigenous communities is particularly worrisome. Brazil has the highest number of deaths from COVID-19 in Latin America–over 15,000–and the Amazonian city of Manaus is the hardest hit. Nearby indigenous communities had hoped to remain in isolation but the need for food and money has sent younger members to the cities, becoming vectors for viral transmission (Washington Post, May 17). Numerous indigenous communities and people groups live right on top of Colombia’s five international borders, and these multinational populations are profoundly affected by the policies of governments on each side. Colombia’s Amazonas province has the nation’s highest per capita infection rate, the fifth overall in the country with over 1,200 confirmed cases.  The capital city, Leticia, is right on the border with Brazil and Peru. With just 49,000 residents, it has over 1,000 confirmed cases and 35 COVID deaths, with 20 more under investigation. Leticia and Brazil’s Tabatinga are effectively a single community, and the total disinterest of Brazilian president Bolsonaro in providing protections or help with the pandemic has left the Colombian residents vulnerable, too. Indigenous community governor Elver Viena recalls the promises of presidents Duque and Bolsonaro last September and says, “They committed to protect biodiversity, but they must remember that we, the indigenous peoples, are part of that biodiversity” (El Tiempo, May 19–Spanish).
4. Passenger travel by land and air has been extremely limited in Colombia since the end of March. Passenger air travel will only be available on humanitarian flights until at least July 1 September 1, possibly longer. Naturally this has affected my life and work; although the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) also has a travel ban for employee work-related travel in effect through the end of 2020. One of Colombia’s most emblematic companies, historic airline Avianca, filed bankruptcy on May 10 in an effort to maintain jobs and future operations after losing 80% of its revenues since the pandemic started (Washington Post/AP May 11, CNN, May 11).
5. Venezuelan migrants have flocked to most of the other countries in South America in growing numbers over the past several years, hoping to find better economic opportunities for their families in the midst of Venezuela’s struggles to control inflation in the midst of falling global oil prices, debilitating U.S. sanctions, and intense political power disputes. Many of the migrants with the most limited resources remained in Colombia, while others used the country as a stepping stone to make longer journeys by land or plane to Peru or Chile. For both political and humanitarian reasons, Colombia attempted to provide essential support to Venezuelan migrants, even though Colombia is one of the world’s most unequal societies, with millions living in substandard housing and earning an informal income selling coffee or sweets on the street or doing odd jobs, cleaning, etc. when work is available, and rural communities are perpetually left behind (Colombia Reports, Dec 2019). But the pandemic brought with it a massive wave of nationalism, as each country called its citizens home and many encouraged foreigners to return to their home nation. With Colombian cities under lockdown, those who depend on daily jobs and recycling items from the garbage are in particularly dire conditions. In April the UN’s World Food Programme warned that starvation threatens more than half of the Venezuelan migrants living Colombia (Colombia Reports, April 23). Buses have transported Venezuelan migrants who choose to return to their home country, while others have hitchhiked or walked. Tens of thousands of the 1.8 million Venezuelans who recently migrated to Colombia have reversed course (NPR April 28).
6. Over the past year, Colombia has infused new energy and resources into the problematic tactics of forced eradication of coca crops in rural Colombia, in spite of the clear plan for voluntary eradication set forth in the 2016 peace accords. The US has pushed for renewing aerial fumigations with glyphosate, in spite of the ineffectiveness of that method for coca eradication, and studies that indicate its dangers for human health and the rest of the local environment. Since the national quarantine was instated on March 25 to prevent the spread of coronavirus, anti-narcotics units have engaged in land-based forced eradication in seven Colombian provinces, putting coca farmers at increased risk of exposure to the virus while destroying their only source of income. Representatives of Amnesty International wrote an op-ed published in Spanish by Washington Post, May 3
7. Colombia has made headlines with a new spying scandal. A Colombian army intelligence unit has been illegally spying on journalists, politicians, union leaders, and other public figures, using equipment supplied by the US.
   • The Colombian magazine Semana broke the story with a detailed exposé. Semana, May 1 (Spanish)
   • A New York Times editorial denounces the scandal and calls for greater transparency. NY Times, May 8
   • A webinar hosted by various peace and human rights NGOs gives perspective from politicians, land rights activists, journalists and more. Webinar, May 19
8. Social distancing measures in Bogotá resulted in additional fears and violence for trans people when an attempt to limit the number of people on the street imposed alternating days for running essential errands according to gender. This measure was in effect for about a month before being lifted effective May 11. (The Guardian, May 8)
9. Details remain unclear about a failed attempt at invading Venezuela launched from Colombia on May 3. Apparently a group of soldiers, largely defectors from the Venezuelan armed forces, has been camped on the Colombian side of the border for the past year, since Juan Guaidó’s failed attempt at leading a U.S.-backed coup, but without clear ties to any state government or to the Guaidó opposition. Colombian authorities intercepted an arms shipment headed to the camp in March of this year. A former Green Beret who runs a security company in Miami has claimed responsibility and is under investigation in the U.S. for potentially illegal arms trafficking. Associated Press, May 6, Washington Post, May 6
10. Colombia’s Ministry of the Interior has announced the controversial decision to appoint Jorge Rodrigo Tovar, son of infamous paramilitary boss “Jorge 40”, as the new coordinator of the Victims’ Protection Unit, to the consternation of human rights groups, victims, and former government officials. While many recognize and appreciate his involvement in the reconciliation process and do not seek to punish him for his family ties, the widespread feeling is that this is a needless affront to the victims of his father’s crimes who need to use services of the victims’ unit (El Espectador, May 19–Spanish).