What's Happening in Colombia

In this week's episode Connor is joined by Juan and Laura from Rutas del Conflicto, an independent news organization dedicated to reporting on the armed conflict in Colombia. Juan and Laura breakdown why social leaders have been getting killed at such high rates. We also discuss the strength of paramilitaries since the signing of the 2016 peace accord. 

Support this awesome independent organization's work and check out its donation page with cool reward options:

https://vaki.co/es/vaki/apoyoarutas

Take a look at their website with loads of good articles about the armed conflict in Colombia:

https://rutasdelconflicto.com/

& make sure to follow their social media pages:

https://twitter.com/rutasconflicto

https://www.instagram.com/rutasdelconflicto/

Connor is joined by Carolina Botero to discuss the impact of technology in the Paro Nacional, the government's involvement with shutting down the internet during protests, human rights violations and much more. 

If you are a Spanish speaker, you HAVE TO tune into Karisma's new podcast detailing these themes in greater detail. It's a fantastic listen. Check out the first episode here:

https://open.spotify.com/episode/0kdhbdMZFGkAG7ItQbsFEc?si=Na3cJIHBRH6uDp3TVNQgMg&dl_branch=1

Also be sure to check out Karisma's web page:

https://web.karisma.org.co/

and follow them on social media: 

https://twitter.com/karisma

https://www.instagram.com/karismacol/

Daniela León and Daniel Jaimes from Red Uva join Connor on this week's episode to discuss all things related to corruption in Colombia. We discuss the ripple effects of corruption in Colombia, the sanctions that exist to combat it, corruption in the Paro Nacional, and much more. 

Make sure to consider donating to their donation page:

https://vaki.co/reduvatevakuva2021

Check out Red Uva's webpage to get involved in the fight against corruption:

www.reduva.org

And follow their social media accounts to stay up to date on corruption in Colombia:

Instagram: https://instagram.com/red_uva?utm_medium=copy_link

Twitter: https://twitter.com/red_uva?s=11

This week we speak with Colombia-based journalist Megan Janetsky about the places and things she's seen while reporting in Colombia. Topics include Colombia's ghost towns, sexual violence, and the baby boom that FARC experienced after the peace accord. 

Follow Megan on Twitter to stay up to date on all things related to Colombia:

https://twitter.com/meganjanetsky

And check out her articles that we discussed during the episode:

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/7/17/colombia-ghost-towns-threatened-by-new-wave-of-violence

https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2021/jul/22/im-not-alone-survivors-organise-against-sexual-violence-in-colombia

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/culture/article/rebel-baby-boom-was-a-sign-of-hope-now-it-represents-uncertainty

This week we speak with the Washington Office on Latin America's leading Colombia human rights advocate, Gimena Sánchez. It was an excellent opportunity to learn more about Colombia's relationship with the United States, and how their relationship affects the political landscape here in Colombia. Additionally, Ms. Sánchez explains Colombia's Ethnic Chapter and its current status. 

For lots of content relating to Colombia, make sure you follow Ms. Sánchez on Twitter:

https://twitter.com/gimena_wola

Also, be sure to check out WOLA's website:

https://www.wola.org/

Here is a link to the policy recommendations we discussed in relation to the peace accord:

https://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/Policy%20recommendations%20-%20the%20Peace%20Accord%20-%20Rural%20reform%20and%20the%20drug%20chapter.pdf

And don't forget to check out WOLA's page for 'Con Líderes Hay Paz':

https://www.wola.org/2021/01/join-the-story-con-lideres-hay-paz/

We chat with International Crisis Group's Elizabeth Dickinson about a range of topics including the socioeconomic standard in Colombia, the country's current police force, and much more.

Make sure to follow Elizabeth on Twitter to stay up to date on what's happening in Colombia:

https://twitter.com/dickinsonbeth

and check out the International Crisis Group's website for Colombia:

https://www.crisisgroup.org/latin-america-caribbean/andes/colombia 

In this episode we speak with Andres from 'Pacifista', a popular independent news source here in Colombia. Topics include government censorship, the car bomb that went off at a military base last week in Cúcuta, and what needs to change in Colombia going forward. 

Make sure to check out Pacifista's website, which is constantly being updated with important articles about what's going on in Colombia:

https://pacifista.tv/

Here is their article regarding 'cyber control' being done by the government:

https://pacifista.tv/notas/el-ciberpatrullaje-o-la-policia-de-la-verdad/

And don't forget about their article about the women of Guayabero:

https://pacifista.tv/especiales/mujeresdeguayabero/

We chat with Natalia from the feminist collective 'La Esquema Feminista' to hear some examples of gender-based violence happening at the protests. She also shares her perspective on changes needed in Colombian society in order to improve this situation. 

Make sure to check out La Esquema Feminista on Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/esquemafeministaddhh/?hl=en

And follow their affiliate page #SomosUnRostroColectivo on Instagram & Twitter:

https://www.instagram.com/somosunrostrocolectivo/?hl=en

https://twitter.com/RostroColectivo

Lorena from the NGO 'Lazos de Dignidad' joins us this episode to describe the police brutality that is occurring at the protests in greater detail. She also informs us about Bogota's mayor, Claudia Lopez, denying the reports being filed by different Human Rights organizations. 

You can learn more about Lazos de Dignidad and donate to their foundation on their website:

https://lazosdedignidad.org/

And make sure to follow them on Twitter and Instagram for updates regarding the protests:

https://twitter.com/FLazosDignidad?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

https://www.instagram.com/lazosdedignidad/?igshid=gs1w3mne6r7

We speak with Emilia from the NGO 'Temblores' to give some background context about the protests happening in Colombia. The origins of the protests are discussed, as well as the "false positives" phenomenon in the country. 

Check out Temblores' website here:

https://www.temblores.org/

You can donate to support victims of police violence here:

https://www.temblores.org/apoyanos

And finally, follow them on Instagram and Twitter for plenty of information relating to the protests:

https://www.instagram.com/tembloresong/

https://twitter.com/tembloresong?lang=en