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The letter was accompanied by a letter from the World Council of Churches (WCC) and ACT Alliance joining DiPaz in supporting the search for a sustainable peace in Colombia.
DiPaz, the WCC and ACT Alliance all expressed gratitude for the engagement of the international community through the Security Council – especially through the UN Verification Mission in Colombia – and in appealing for continued and further action to promote a genuine and sustainable peace for all the people of Colombia, especially the most marginalized communities and those most affected as victims of the violence.
“Nevertheless, the current national administration's omissions and slowness to act in relation to the implementation of many points of the agreement continue to worry us, as does the lack of progress in fulfilling other agreements with communities and sectors of civil society which, together with the increase of poverty during the pandemic, gave rise to the nationwide protests and strike action that began on April 28 of this year,” reads the DiPaz letter.
“These protests have continued because the government has delayed reaching agreements with the strike committee, has refused to engage in dialogue with other sectors that participate in the protests, and has chosen to use the army to suppress protesters.”
DiPaz notes that state forces acted disproportionately against the young people who took to the streets to raise their voice. “In addition, there was significant stigmatization of indigenous peoples, evidence of the persistence of racism in Colombia,” reads the letter.
The letter was also endorsed by several regional and global organizations such as the World Communion of Reformed Churches, Presbyterian Church (USA), Alliance of Presbyterian and Reformed Churches of Latin America, CREAS, World Student Christian Federation, QONAKUY, and ALC.
The letter to the UN Security Council is a further step of an advocacy process that started with a letter on 18 May urging the Colombian president to stop the spiral of violence during the street protests.
