Published by Mongabay on December 10, 2020.
An indigenous group first contacted in the 1980s is being hit hard by deforestation, the coca trade, and violent groups.
Palm oil, coca and gangs close in on Colombia’s Indigenous Nukak Makú
Reports tagged “Coca”
Links to long-form information about peace, security, and human rights in Colombia
Guayabero: así se vive la crisis humanitaria por la erradicación de coca
Publicado por El Espectador el 7 de noviembre de 2020.
A community in southwest Meta department seeks to resist FARC dissident groups and government forced eradication teams by declaring a “humanitarian space.”
‘I Will Be Left With Nothing’: Why Colombians Are Watching the U.S. Election Closely
Published by Politico on November 2, 2020.
An overview of the state of affairs as Colombia edges closer to restarting a controversial U.S.-backed program of aerial herbicide fumigation.
The coca enclosure: Autonomy against accumulation in Colombia
Published by World Development on October 10, 2020.
An account, based on fieldwork, of how the coca economy is oppressing indigenous and Afro-descendant communities in Cauca.
¿Cómo va la solución al problema de las drogas ilícitas?
Publicado por un grupo de congresistas colombianos el 27 de septiembre de 2020.
A data-heavy look at government compliance with the illicit drugs chapter of the peace accord, and an evaluation of drug policy options. (link at juanitaenelcongreso.com)
La tutela, estrategia contra erradicación forzada de hoja de coca
Publicado por Verdad Abierta el 6 de septiembre de 2020.
Explains how communities have used a mechanism in Colombian law to defend against aggressive forced coca eradication and a return to aerial herbicide spraying.
Logros de la Política de Defensa y Seguridad
Publicado por el Ministerio de Defensa Nacional en septiembre de 2020.
A regularly updated collection of official security, defense, and counter-drug statistics. (Link at mindefensa.gov.co)
Avances y desafíos de la implementación del Acuerdo de Paz en Guaviare
Publicado por la Fundación Ideas para la Paz el 8 de agosto de 2020.
A look at compliance in peace accord commitments and the security situation in Guaviare, a department in south-central Colombia with a heavy presence of FARC dissident groups.
El descontrol militar en Guayabero deja civiles heridos y el Estado calla
Publicado por La Liga Contra el Silencio el 30 de julio de 2020.
Forced eradication operations are growing ever more aggressive, as documented in this account from journalists in the Guayabero River region of south-central Colombia.
Colombia: Monitoreo de territorios afectados por cultivos ilícitos 2019
Publicado por la Oficina de las Naciones Unidas contra la Droga y el Delito el 28 de julio de 2020.
The UNODC’s annual survey of coca cultivation finds a modest reduction in 2019, steady cocaine production, less cultivation in Tumaco and more in Catatumbo, now the country’s largest coca-producing region. (Link at unodc.org)
Protect Colombia’s Peace
Outlines the current challenges of Colombia’s peace process, across the board, and makes recommendations for U.S. policy.
Coca inflada: reportes de erradicación de la Fuerza Pública estarían alterados
Publicado por Semana el 12 de julio de 2020.
The newsmagazine finds that coca eradication teams have been systematically inflating reports of their results, throwing off recordkeeping for many years.
Erradicaciones Forzosas de Cultivos de Uso Ilícito y Derechos Humanos en Colombia
Publicado por la Corporación Viso Mutop el 30 de junio de 2020. (Link at visomutop.org)
Two longtime Colombian drug policy experts analyze the costs and risks of the current supply-side, eradication-heavy model for dealing with illicit crops, and lay out alternative proposals.
El catálogo de las pequeñas soluciones: historias de sustitución de cultivos ilícitos
Publicado por la Fundación Ideas para la Paz el 23 de junio de 2020.
A collection of accounts of campesinos who have successfully substituted coca through sustainable and innovative projects.
Colombia – Survey of territories affected by illicit crops 2019 – Fact Sheet and Executive Summary (in Spanish)
Publicado por UNODC el 17 de junio de 2020.
A summary of UNODC’s annual findings about coca cultivation in Colombia, covering 2019. (Link at unodc.org)
El glifosato contrataca: un ciclo de lecciones sin aprender
Publicado por La Silla Vacía el 10 de junio de 2020.
An analysis of the debate over prior consultation with communities that has delayed re-starting of a U.S.-backed aerial herbicide fumigation in coca-growing areas.
La erradicación forzada no ha aumentado, pero los cultivadores la están pasando mal
Publicado por La Silla Vacía el 29 de mayo de 2020.
Juan Carlos Garzón of the Fundación Ideas para la Paz looks at the mid-year, mid-pandemic state of Colombia’s coca eradication campaign, for which he predicts no lasting success.
Líderes sociales del Catatumbo: todas las armas les apuntan
Publicado por El Espectador el 7 de mayo de 2020.
A look at threats faced by social leaders in the Catatumbo region, with a thorough mapping of the security situation and illicit economies in each of 10 municipalities.
El tráfico de cocaína de Colombia hacia el mundo
Publicado por la Fundación Paz y Reconciliación el 6 de abril de 2020.
A look at recent changes in Colombia’s cocaine market, coca production, armed group participation, and transshipment patterns.
Logros de la Política de Defensa y Seguridad
Publicado por el Ministerio de Defensa Nacional en abril de 2020.
A regularly updated collection of official security, defense, and counter-drug statistics. (Link at mindefensa.gov.co)
Deforestation in Colombian protected areas increased during post-conflict periods
Published by Nature on March 18, 2020.
After the peace accord, “the national government failed to ensure a functional institutional presence in several PAs [protected areas],” and deforestation increased.
Women Coca and Poppy Growers Mobilizing for Social Change
Published by WOLA on March 4, 2020.
From their fight to assert the rights of coca-grower movements in Bolivia to their contribution to peace building in Colombia, women growers have been crucial agents of change in their communities.
2020 International Narcotics Control Strategy Report
The State Department’s annual worldwide overview of the drug trade and efforts to combat it. Includes a chapter on Colombia and mentions of the country throughout. (Link at state.gov)
Constitutional Court decision on aerial herbicide fumigation
Publicado por la Corte Constitucional de Colombia el 27 de febrero de 2020 (aunque fechado el 18 de julio de 2019).
The text of the Constitutional Court’s July 2019 decision reinterpreting its 2017 suspension of aerial spraying of coca-growing areas using the herbicide glyphosate. (Link at corteconstitucional.gov.co)
Guerra y Coca: La Maldición del Edén Chocoano
Publicado por El Colombiano el 25 de febrero de 2020.
A multimedia presentation and article about reporters’ visit to conflictive zones of Chocó department, up the Pacific coast into Panama.