Plan Colombia Flier_Optical Realities

More than 10,000 Colombian soldiers have been trained in the U.S. at the School of the Americas (SOA)*. Many high ranking Colombian officers, who are graduates of the SOA, have been cited for brutal atrocities--including murderous rampages which were conducted in association with the AUC paramilitary (assassins) group, whose tactics include torture and the dismemberment of bodies.

In 2000, as part of “Plan Colombia,” the US allocated $1.3 billion - to date, nearly $5 billion has been sent to Colombia. The majority of this money is going primarily to US-based weapons manufacturers in the form of helicopters (costing over $15 million each), chemical corporations, who supply the toxins used for fumigations, and other corporations who use outsourcing to deploy mercenaries to the region. The remaining tens of millions are going directly to the notorious Colombian military - thus negating the Leahy Laws.

This plan, commonly referred to as the “Plan of Death,” has resulted in countless human rights atrocities, serious ecological devastation, and has contributed to the displacement of over 4 million (mostly indigenous) people. Tens of thousands of acres of rainforests and countless species have been decimated due to the fumigations; food crops and medicinal plants have been destroyed, and serious health problems have emerged. The Colombian government estimates that over 30% of annual deforestation is a result of the fumigations. A 2002 CIA report states that coca production had increased by 25% -The numbers for 2006 and estimates for 2007 regarding overall coca production, and the increase of deforestation resulting from the failed fumigation campaign is staggering.

Despite these egregious affects, seen merely as “collateral damage,” the US continues the failed campaign - while at the same time Colombia’s president is urging for clemency towards paramilitary leaders and other war criminals.

Although “Plan Colombia” is promoted as an initiative to support the “War on Drugs,” in reality it is having little effect on eradicating coca. Rather, the aid provides the military backing to wage an ongoing biological and civilian-targeted War Against the Poor. As a result, multinational corporations have full access to exploit the people, land & resources (such as oil, silver, copper and gold) -- at any and all costs.

Contact Congress NOW and Say “NO!” to Plan Colombia. Demand that funding be cut immediately and reallocated to programs that support rehabilitation in the US and alternative crop programs in Colombia.

Capitol Switchboard: (202) 224-3121

*The SOA was renamed the “Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation” (WHINSEC)