Autodefensas Unidas de Colombia
Autodefensas Unidas de Colombia (United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia) or AUC is an terrorist umbrella organization formed in April 1997 to consolidate most local and regional paramilitary groups in Colombia, each with the mission to protect economic interests and combat insurgents locally.The AUC claims its primary objective is to protect its sponsors from insurgents and their activities, including kidnapping and extortion. The AUC now asserts itself as a regional and national counterinsurgent force. Former AUC supreme leader Carlos CastaÃÂño in 2000 claimed 70 percent of the AUC's operational costs were financed with drug-related earnings, the rest coming from "donations" from its sponsors.
According to the Colombian National Police in the first ten months of 2000 the AUC conducted 804 assassinations, 203 kidnappings, and 75 massacres with 507 victims. The AUC claims the victims were guerrillas or sympathizers. Combat tactics consist of conventional and guerilla operations against main force insurgent units. AUC clashes with military and police units are increasing, although the group has traditionally avoided government security forces.
The AUC's main enemies are leftist insurgency groups, the FARC and ELN, both of which are classified as foreign terrorist organizations by the US State Department. In 2001, the State Department condemned the AUC for massacres, torture, and other human rights abuses and added it to the terrorist group list.
However, some analists and recent Human Rights Watch reports alledge that considerable elements within the Colombian military and police still continue to either directly collaborate with or merely tolerate local AUC paramilitary groups. Even if it is clear that there has been a noticeable reduction in such behavior in recent years and that there have been increasing efforts to combat paramilitary influence, much more remains to be done and HRW remains seriously critical of this situation.
Recently, after a cease-fire was declared (which in practice has been publicly admitted by the AUC and the government to be partial, resulting in a reduction but not the cesation of killings), the government of Colombian president ÃÂÃÂlvaro Uribe VÃÂélez has begun talks with the group with the aim to eventually dismantle the organization and reintegrate its members to society. Several hundred members of the organization (more than 600) have already demobilized under existing laws.
However, a new law proyect was presented which offered to pardon the members of any illegal armed group (which would legally include both guerrillas and paramilitaries) that declared a cease-fire and entered talks with the government, in return for, mainly, their verified demobilization, concentration within a specific geographic area and the symbolic reparation of the offenses committed against the victims of their actions. After much discussion and controversy over it, a further revised draft was presented.
The new proyect, among other details, called for the creation of a 3 to 5 member Truth Tribunal which would study each case brought before it (at the request of the President), after the groups/ individuals sign an agreement to respect international humanitary laws and accept the authority of the Tribunal, in exchange for a minimum sentence of 5 to 10 years (part of it could possibly be served outside jail) for those guilty of the most serious crimes, the confession of the crimes which were committed in connection with the activities of the illegal armed group, and the completition of concrete acts of reparation towards the victims.
If the Tribunal were to deny the benefits to anyone, there would be no possibility of reconsideration. However, the President would be able to veto individuals who did receive a favorable sentence. The new law would be in effect only until 31st December of 2006.
HRW spokesman Jose Miguel Vivanco publicly stated, during one of the final audiences which were created to discuss aspects of the original proyect (of which he remained highly critical), that the new proposition seemed to be considerably more in line with international standards, at first glance.
However, in contrast to these efforts, Salvatore Mancuso, one of the AUC's main commanders, has publicly expressed that he is against both any potential extradition of himself (and his "comrades in arms") towards the USA and refuses "spending any day in jail".
Also, there have been internal conflicts within the illegal organization, as other AUC leaders have mutually accused each other of being tainted with narcotrafficking and their troops have even met in combat.
In short, due to the different, regionalistic and sometimes warring factions within the AUC, successfully concluding any peace iniciative does not appear to be an easy task at all.
Separately, in events which remain clouded and confusing, former AUC supreme leader Carlos CastaÃÂño has apparently suffered an attempt on his life on April 16th 2004, presumably at the hands of either his own bodyguards, those of rival paramilitary troops, or perhaps even other entities altogether.
It has been speculated in the Colombian press that this could be a potential blow to the peace process, and/or that it might even lead to his voluntarily extradition to the United States.The truth of these speculations, and of his survival and exact condition, has yet to be revealed (as of April 21st 2004).