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June 29, 2022

Truth Commission in Colombia Documents 450,000 Deaths, Criticizes U.S. Role in Backing Violence
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Colombia's Truth Commission has estimated that over 450,000 people were
killed in Colombia between 1985 and 2018 during a time when the United
States was a key backer of the Colombian military and right-wing
paramilitaries which targeted leftist groups, social justice leaders and
union members. The Truth Commission's report denounced the U.S.-funded
war on drugs in Colombia, stating, "The consequences of this concerted
and largely U.S.-driven approach [led to a] hardening of the conflict in
which the civilian population has been the main victim." This is Rev.
Francisco de Roux, who led the Truth Commission.

Rev. Francisco de Roux: "To the government, public forces, political
parties, entrepreneurs, churches, educators and other decision makers in
Colombia: We ask you to recognize the drug trafficking penetration in
our culture, in the state, politics and economy, and face it as a
nation. We must develop investigative tools to face the alliances system
and involved interests, and we must change the war politics that attack
those who are the weakest link, the farmers."



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