Building Capacity – Interagency & Intergovernmental CCAI Teams in Southern

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Building Capacity Interagency & Intergovernmental CCAI Teams in SouthernColombia

Lieutenant Colonel Patrick J. Christian, US Army Special ForcesUS MILGP-Colombia PATT Station Florencia (6th Division, COLAR)

Destroyed Nestles Milk Plant, El Doncello, Caquet

Bloody parking lot in front of Nestle Milk

Plant, El Doncello, Caquet

On 17 January 2007, elements of the FARCs Teofilo Forero Mobil Column or TFMCcrippled the Nestle Milk processing plant in the village of El Doncello, Department of

Caquet, southern Colombia.In the early morning hours, atruck bomb was driven up tothe plant and it explodeddestroying Caquets primarymilk processing plant andbringing milk processing for thedepartments dairy farmers toless than 30% of capacity.Sources confided to military

and police investigators thatplant officials had recentlybecome confident enough inthe security of the Departmentof Caquet to begin refusing topay the routine extortiondemands of the FARCs 15thFront and TFMCs 3rd, 4th and

6th Companies operating in western centralCaquet. The destruction of the plantsfacilities was accompanied by the woundingand killing of several plant workers who wereon duty at the time. Given the plants centralposition in processing the milk for thedepartments dairy farmers and the number of jobs it provides, the outcry over the bombingwas substantial. One positive developmentwhich resulted from this incident was the startof a (long overdue) public-private sectorpartnership for infrastructure security and thedevelopment of better governance.

Interagency & Intergovernmental CMOThis partnership took the form of a unique interagency and intergovernmental

civil-military-police operations (CMO) coordinating group of about 30 40 officialsfrom both the public and private sectors of Caquet. This coordinating group (callingthemselves a Gran Comit) brought itself into existence under the guidance of the


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departmental military brigadeand the Presidents AccinSocial coordinator ofoperations for Caquet. Afterfour difficult days of bargainingover the direction and agendaof this CMO coordinating

group, they finally held theirfirst meeting with the USEmbassy-Bogotas PoliticalOfficer and members of the USSouthern Commands J5 Officeof Plans & Policy as observers.The group now meets regularlyto manage issues such asinfrastructure maintenanceand construction, critical

infrastructure vulnerabilityidentification and remediation,and managing the many civic action (Accin Social) projects which involve a myriad ofagencies and levels of government. One such ongoing project involves theresettlement of the formerly abandoned town of La Union Peneya.

La Union PeneyaThis village (formerly of

approximately 2000 inhabitants)was abandoned in July of 2002when government troops from the

12th Brigade and FARC Forcesfought for control of the town.During fierce fighting betweengovernment forces and insurgentsusing the town as a base of supportand operations, significant portionsof the town sustained damageincluding the hospital clinic, church,both the elementary and highschools as well as many of the

residents homes. As the fightinggrew, the inhabitants (led by thetowns catholic priest) who were notactive members of the FARC

insurgency relocated to homes of relatives in nearby villages and municipalities. Aftereliminating FARC resistance in the Municipality of Montanita where La Union Peneya islocated, the 12th Brigades Guipe Battalion established a company sized outpost in thehills overlooking the town. For the next three and half years, the village remainedabandoned as it lay, guarded by government forces stationed there. There was neverany evidence of looting by government forces, but the town suffered serious

First meeting of the Florencia, Caquet based Interagency,

Inter overnmental Civil-Militar Coordinatin Grou

Colombian officials discuss the planned resettlementof La Union Peneya with US Military Group andUS Southern Command officers


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deterioration over the years with no one to maintain it. This past July 2006, in concertwith Accin Social, the Department of Caquet, the Bishop of Caquet, and supportedby advisory assistance from the US PATT,the 12th Brigade began laying plans forthe reestablishment of La Union Peneyaand the return of its inhabitants. Afterinitial consultations with religious leaders

who signaled their willingness to assist,the joint teams of Federal, Departmentaland Municipal officials began laying thegroundwork for the return of over athousand known inhabitants.

Ruins of La Union Peneya, Caquet

The resettlement of La Union Peneyahas become a significant public relationsissue for the COLAR, and US PATTsupport of their security and informationefforts has become an essential part of

our ability to provide ongoing planning and advisory assistance support. The firstreturnees arrived in La Union Peneya on the 25 of January 2007 and the openingceremonies occurred over the weekend of Saturday and Sunday the 3 rd & 4th of

February 2007. In atwo day extravaganzafor these batteredinhabitants, a host ofFederal, Department,and Municipalagencies as well asColombian Military

and Police forcesprovided a wide rangeof services such asOrthodontic anddental care, medicaldiagnostic andvaccinations, clothingand shoe repair,haircuts, child

nutritional

supplements, and ofcourse, typicalColombian

entertainment withthe 6th Division Band& Musical Group.

From upper-left clockwise: vaccination stand; bedding for returnees;barber shop; shoe & clothing repair, dental and orthodontic services;medical diagnostic & treatment; welcoming committee; and the 6thDivision Band


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The real civil-military work occurred during 8 hours of hard negotiating betweenmembers of the civil-military coordinating team led by the Governor of Caquet andPresident Uribes Accin Social. Their efforts were supported by the 12th BrigadeCommander and the Municipality of Montanita. In an atmosphere that ranged fromconciliatory to accusatory, the parties argued the relative merits of the suffering andhardship endured against the backdrop of scarce funding, limited resources and the

ever present threat of hunger and attacks by the FARCs 15th Front which operates inthe area. Much of the Governors messages dealt with patience, and he appeared to

have deep support for his message. Many of the returnees were familiar with him andthe towns returning residents nearly mobbed him while he passed out health andeducation booklets to the residents.

From upper-left clockwise: newly returned residents listen as designated town leaders press for3 years of lost services and infrastructure; US Embassy & SCJ5 personnel observe bargaining;Secretary of Education for Caquet Dr. Fransisco Javier Montes Tangarife; BG Jamie CalderonCDR 12th BDE with The Governor of Caquet, Juan Carlos Claros Pinzon and his spouse

Unfortunately for the governor and the residents of La Union Peneya, they willhave to fight for the survival of this town against both limited resources and a FARCfront determined to derail this resettlement. The night of the second day of openingceremonies, the 15th Front detonated a cylinder bomb less than a kilometer outside ofthe town. Despite military fortifications and security outposts located in all directionsby a company of the Guepi Battalion and the 87th Counter Guerrilla Battalion, the 15thFront has managed to make its presence felt. The FARC leadership clearly


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understands the stakes in permitting the return of elected civil governance to LaUnion Peneya. Such a major coup by Colombians in their quest to build legitimacy ofgovernance may cause the FARC to increase its efforts to penetrate the security buffer

protecting this fragile experiment in resettlement.This past week, (in the third event since thereturn), government troops securing the villagewere engaged yet again by FARC forces trying to

slip past them as they tried to attack the village.This time two FARC guerrillas were killed inaction as they tried to lay a minefield (of 9 anti-personnel mines) along the outskirts of the town.Ad they been successful, this one act might havebeen sufficient to demonstrate to the returneesthat their government cannot protect them.

As the damage all around the cleaned up areas of La Union Peneya continues toattest, bringing peace to this town against the will of the FARC will be an uphill battle.The newly

formed GranComit, orinteragency,intergovernmental coordinatinggroup for civil-militaryoperations maybe the only waythis town willsurvive a

concerted effortto wrest it fromcivilian control.The workinggroups abilityto coordinatehumanitarianrelief,infrastructuresecurity and the

reestablishmentof its supportingfarms, dairiesand ranches seems to be the only way ahead for the department of Caquets ongoingstruggle for the hearts and minds of the Caqueteos of southern Colombia.

Newly returned residents stop to listen while the Caquet Governor Juan

Carlos Claros Pinzon explains the results of his negotiations with the townsdesignated leaders and the way ahead for rebuilding the town.


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Before and After photos of the Medical Clinic at La Union Peneya: Photos include theAmbulance, Pharmacy, Examining Rooms, Consult Offices, Patient Records and OBGyn section.As of early February 2007, a combined Mission Medical team form the Department of Caquetaand the Municipality of Montanita / Florencia is living & working on site to repair the facility andrestart communit medical su ort.


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Documents

Building Capacity – Interagency & Intergovernmental CCAI Teams in Southern