Bogota/Latin Press
Nearly five thousand farmers who have been harmed by paramilitarism in Colombia will benefit from the delivery of land thanks to an agreement signed this Monday between the Unit for Victims and the National Land Agency (ANT).
The agreement mobilizes more than 175 billion pesos (about 43 million dollars at the current exchange rate) that will go directly to the Reparations Fund, intended to support the victims and transform the properties into productive land, according to the information released.
“We have inherited a huge backlog in reparations for those who suffered during the armed conflict, something that has resulted in a great deal of suffering for them. With this step, we hope to compensate around five thousand victims recognized in the rulings of Justice and Peace,” said the director of the Victims Unit, Lilia Solano.
For his part, the director of the National Land Agency, Felipe Harman, said that the agreement breaks down the institutional barriers that prevented its implementation.
He said that through the agreement, 18 thousand hectares will be purchased and given to landless farmers, and the agreement has the potential to reach up to 130 thousand.
According to both entities, the alliance will achieve two key objectives: the delivery of land to farmers and financial compensation for victims.
The lands acquired come from properties handed over by paramilitary leaders within the framework of the Justice and Peace Law, and are located mainly in departments such as Antioquia, Córdoba and Santander.
Among them are some who belonged to paramilitary blocs such as Casa Castaño, Bloque Central Bolívar and Bloque Centauros, now at the service of the peasants.
#Land #handed #peasants #victims #paramilitarism
