The Peace Community of San José de Apartadó, near to where Margarita Giraldo Usuga disappeared from the family farm
Extra judicial executions: the grief of small farmers in Uraba, Colombia
The tired eyes of Don Alberto look down to the floor in the offices of the Technical Investigation Body (CTI in Spanish) of the Office of the Attorney General in Turbo. It is 25 December 2007 and the small farmer has just learned that, after seven years of forced displacement, his family has to suffer even more pain. His wife, Margarita Giraldo Usuga, who had disappeared two days previously from their farm in Arenas Bajas, on the edges of San José de Apartadó, is now lying dead in these cold premises.
The reports state «Female guerrilla member killed in action». Don Alberto’s sadness turns to stupor and then anger. Margarita was a small farmer, like him. Her main occupation was looking after the family’s crops and the children. What links could she possibly have with the fighting between soldiers of the XVII Brigade and the 58th Front of the FARC that took place on 23 December near her home? According to some witnesses, the woman was harvesting yucca on her land when the first shots were heard. Don Alberto found the house empty a few hours later, destroyed by bullets.
Margarita’s body shows clear signs of torture. Don Alberto wants to get her out of there as soon as possible, to watch over her body and to bury her, giving her back at least some of her dignity.
The Peace Community condemned her assassination in a press release on 26 December and Father Javier Giraldo presented a right to petition to the Defence Minister, Juan Manuel Santos, requesting that the XVII Brigade stop committing these atrocities in complete impunity, as has happened in the past. Father Giraldo also reported the threats suffered by Margarita’s family a few days after her assassination. Some members of the army put pressure on them to confirm that their wife and mother was a member of the guerrilla and the Community is still waiting for justice to be done.
>> Read more about extra judicial executions in Colombia from this month's ColomPBIa magazine