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Prof. Dr Isabel Apawo Phiri, deputy general secretary of the World Council of Churches (WCC), expressed concern and voiced solidarity for the people of Colombia as they confront a recent upsurge of violence.
As part of its focus this year on a Pilgrimage of Justice and Peace in the Latin American and Caribbean region, the WCC is undertaking a series of solidarity visits to communities in Colombia which continue to be affected by violence and marginalization.
“In light of the experiences of these communities and of other recent events in the country – including a fatal attack on a police station in Barranquilla, the bombing of an indigenous reservation in Choco province, and a recent wave of assassinations of social leaders – the WCC expresses its concern for the continuation and fulfilment of the peace process in Colombia,” said Phiri.
The resumption of such violent attacks following expiration of a ceasefire which had held since October 2017, and the suspension of negotiations between the Colombian government and the National Liberation Army, have raised great uncertainty and anxiety for the future of the peace process in Colombia.
“Resorting again to violence cannot strengthen the cause of peace, but can only weaken the shaky foundations of mutual trust on which peace must be built,” Phiri added.
The WCC, together with its member and partner churches in Colombia, is calling for prayers for peace in Colombia, and appeals to all parties to refrain from further violence, to return to the table of dialogue, and to work to fulfil the long-held hopes of the Colombian people for peace and justice.
Read the full text: WCC calls for peace in Colombia, 9 February 2018
Read the letter from DIPAZ to the Colombian government and the ELN
Statement from ACT Alliance, 9 February 2018
