Colombia: Fear for safety

Index Number: AMR 23/033/1998
Date Published: 17 May 1998
Categories: Americas, Colombia

On 13 May 1998, a heavily armed paramilitary organization made death threats against a community of 70 displaced peasant families living on La Miel Ranch, Tolima Department. The families had been driven off Bellacruz Ranch, Cesar Department, in 1996 by paramilitary forces operating with the support of the security forces. The paramilitaries accused them of being guerilla collaborators and there are fears that the threats may be a prelude to a large-scale attack.