Newsletter: 04/28/02

1. Africa
2. Americas
3. Asia Pacific
4. Europe
5. Middle East
6. South Asia
7. Cyberterrorism and Information Warfare
8. Finance
9. Human Rights
10 Law and Legal Issues
11. Narco-terrorism
12. Transportation
13. Weapons of Mass Destruction
14. Recently Published

FEATURE ARTICLE:
Paramilitaries in Colombia

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS OF THE WEEK

1. Africa

In northern Chad, senior opposition leader Mahamat Gueti died when his car was blown up with a landmine. The government says they have made several arrests.

A peace deal for Democratic Republic of Congo has been arranged between the government and the Congolese Liberation Movement (MLC) but excluding the Rally for Congolese Democracy (RCD). Movement to develop a transitional government continues, but RCD is allying with civilian opposition groups in a move that may put pressure on the tentative peace agreement.

The report of the independent border commission that ruled on the boundary between Ethiopia and Eritrea has left confusion in its wake. Meanwhile, Eritrea has begun demobilizing while Ethiopia has closed its borders to the UN peacekeepers. It is hoped that clarification of the ruling will be forthcoming.

The rebel group Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy (LURD) are fighting government troops that are trying to halt their progress towards the Liberian capital, Monrovia.

In Madagascar, the situation has deteriorated with the announcement by President Ratsiraka that he will not abide by the results of a vote recount (that followed the Supreme Courts annulment of the presidential elections results), despite the agreement he signed with opposition candidate Ravalomanana in Senegal last week. He and the governors that support him have suggested they will secede rather than agree to a Ravalomanana victory.

Militant Nigerian youths have taken over an oil platform, holding 88 hostages. The twenty unarmed invaders are demanding jobs. Attacks for such economic motives have become common around oil installations.

In Sierra Leone, rumors that a 1,000 carat diamond has been found have led to increased border security, aiming to enforce rules against smuggling that are in place to put an end to the trade in "blood diamonds" that have funded long and brutal wars in the region.

The Sudanese government has launched an offensive against the rebel Sudan Peoples Liberation Army, displacing thousands of civilians.

Political violence continues in Zimbabwe. Street protests, including a 200 person human rights march, were broken up by riot police, who made dozens of arrests.

2. Americas

In Colombia, attacks by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) have become the major presidential election issue. The most recent attack killed nine workers at a banana plant. Colombian officials, including President Pastrana, have appealed to the US to extend aid beyond the current anti-drug campaign to include funds to strengthen the army. Recent US congressional hearings have touched on this topic (see Feature Article).

Concerned that the Shining Path may have regrouped, the US State Department issued a travel warning to Peru, suggesting especial vigilance on May 17, an important anniversary for the rebel group. Meanwhile, the first public hearings of Perus Truth and Reconciliation Commission have begun.

The US is under heavy pressure to intervene in the Israeli/Palestinian conflict. A recent visit from Crown Prince Abdullah of Saudi Arabia was direct in insisting on a determined peace process. US ineffectiveness to date has led to allegations of ineffectual or unconcerned foreign policy. However, it seems that a US proposal to resolve the standoff at Yassar Arafats compound in Ramallah may begin to move forward.

Back at home, the US Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS), long under fire, will be divided into two separate agencies: one for services and one for enforcement.

In a security crackdown at Washington DCs three main airports (Dulles, National, Baltimore), more than 100 employees have been arrested for lying on their security applications.

In Venezuela, a tape has been released showing that President Hugo Chavez ordered the armed attack on the demonstrators the move that precipitated the short-lived coup. This proof, and the ongoing investigation, will not make the task of national reconciliation any easier. In the US, the Pentagon has ordered a review of its activities during the coup, to prove it was not involved. The State Department is also reviewing recipients of National Endowment for Democracy funds to ensure none of that money was used against Chavez.

3. Asia Pacific

Our newest country, East Timor, is mapping out their border with Indonesias West Timor, in preparation for full independence next month.

Sectarian violence continues in Indonesia. In the Moluccas, a Christian separatist flag-raising ceremony turned violent, with Muslims setting fire to a church. The independence movement in the northwest Aceh province also continues, with violence among government troops, the Aceh Sumatra National Liberation Front (ASNLF) and civilians. Indonesia and the US have resumed military talks.

Philippine police have arrested more suspects in the General Santos bombing last Sunday. They are investigating possible links to al Qaeda.

The Abu Sayyaf militants, holding two kidnapped American missionaries, have reneged on a ransom payment, taking #300,000 but refusing to turn over the hostages.

4. Europe

Europe united in horror at the unexpected victory of the far right candidate Jean-Marie Le Pen, and the elimination, from the first round of the presidential election, of the socialist candidate, Lionel Jospin. This is part of a general trend that has been see in other countries, but the upset was so shocking that it has galvanized both the center and left against the perceived threats of the rise of a radical right and resurgent nationalist, racism, and violence.

April 24 is the anniversary of the Armenian genocide of 1915.

In Germany, the al Qaeda trial continues. Aeurobui Beandali, one of the five on trial, broke ranks to confess his bomb-making and other activities. The German police have arrested 11 members of the al Tawhid Islamic militant movement, under suspicion of terrorism. Their main activities were operational, such as arranging false papers.

A Greek court has found twelve British and Dutch planespotters guilty of spying and sentenced to up to three years in prison. They had been taking photographs and recording the details of the planes during a military air show. They have been allowed to return home, pending their appeal of the sentences.

Ireland has called a general election for May 17. Sinn Fein is expected to do well, despite the recent controversy over possible links to the Colombian rebel group FARC.

In the Netherlands, Dutch police have arrested four suspected members of the Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat. They are accused of providing operational support including paperwork and money.

Russian secret service agents have assassinated the leader of the Chechen rebels, Khattaab. They have released video to prove the death.

Basque separatist group ETA exploded another car bomb in Madrid, Spain, but caused no injuries. Spanish police have arrested Ahmed Brahim and Muhammad Galeb Kalaje Zouaydi (Abu Talha) on suspicion of financing al Qaeda. Funds were channeled through five al Qaeda operations.

A Ukrainian scientist who has been monitoring Chernobyl, site of the disastrous nuclear accident, says that increasing measures of radioactivity indicate that the seal over the ruins might be failing.

In the UK, Algerian pilot Lofti Raissi has been released and the US attempt to extradite him rejected for lack of evidence.

Following the rejection of al Megrahis appeal in the Pan Am 103/Lockerbie bombing, Scottish police are returning personal effects that had been held as evidence to the families of the dead.

As part of the Irish/British peace process, Judge Peter Cory has been asked to investigate six murder cases in which there were allegations of collusion between paramilitaries and security forces. He will determine whether there is grounds for a public inquiry into the deaths.

General Dragoljub Ojdanic, head of the Yugoslav army under Slobodan Milosevic, has arrived in The Hague and pleaded innocent to the war crimes tribunal.

5. Middle East

Violence continues between Israeli and Palestine. The low point of the week has been the allegations of a massacre or at least use of excessive force and denial of humanitarian aid in the Israeli assault on the Jenin refugee camp. Initially saying they were open to an inquiry and had nothing to hide, the Israeli authorities have now delayed a UN fact-finding mission and may not allow it to go ahead.

On the positive side, a compromise in Ramallah may be in view. The US has proposed that US and UK troops act as the guards over the militants convicted by a Palestinian court of the murder of the Israeli tourist minister, Rechavan Zeevi, last year. This agreement could pave the way for Palestinian leader Yassar Arafat to be released from his compound.

Following the deaths of four teenagers, Hamas has called on children to preserve themselves until they were older and could engage in effective action, not throw their lives away prematurely.

In Algeria, a rebel attack (the Armed Islamic Group (GIA) is suspected) has killed 16 people -- sleeping farming families, including 8 children.

On the 20th anniversary of Israelis withdrawal from the Egyptian Sinai, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak has denounced Israels activities against the Palestinians. This position has strong support among the public. Recently, border controls have been tightened to try to discourage a series of escapades at the Israeli border that have resulted in a number of youthful suicides.

Tension between Iraq and the US is increasing. Military activity over the no-fly zone patrolled by US and UK troops has increased. The US government continues its plans for an attack on Iraq to remove Saddam Hussein.

Meanwhile, President Hussein has had a spectacular celebration to honor his 65th birthday.

Jordan has joined Bangladesh in deciding not to host this years Non-Aligned Movement summit due to continued violence in the Middle East.

Saudi Arabias Crown Prince Abdullah met with US President Bush this week, making it clear that US interests were being jeopardized by continued support for unrestrained Israeli actions, and pushing for development of a peace plan, including a new 8-point that includes American participation in a peacekeeping force.

Tunisian Nizar Ben Mohamed Nasr Nawar was the driver of the fuel tanker that exploded outside the Ghriba synagogue. His uncle has been arrested for complicity, and connections with al Qaeda are being investigated.

6. South Asia

Afghanistan continues its preparations for the Loya Jirga council, while US and British special forces continue their mountain hunts for al Qaeda and Taliben fighters. Special forces are also hunting in Pakistan.

Over 30,000 security personnel were used in Bangladesh to guarantee security for the elections. The governing coalition won, but the elections were boycotted by the opposition.

Two reports, one by the British government and one by the Indian NGO Communalism Combat, have strongly condemned the state government in Gujarat for planning and supporting the recent violence between Hindus and Muslims. The violence has been characterized, respectively, as ethnic cleansing or genocide. The Gujarat government has said the claims have no basis. But the violence continues, and even as the death toll mounts, parliamentary inaction at the national level persists.

The Maoist insurgency in Nepal continues with a five-day strike protesting the governments ongoing state of emergency, and explosions, including the destruction of the Prime Ministers ancestral home. Since the state of emergency five months ago, over 2,000 have been killed. A bounty of $64,000 each for the capture or killing of the three main rebel leaders is now on offer by the Nepalese government.

In Pakistan, the referendum to give General Musharraf another five years a President has been approved by the Supreme Court. After the Courts decision was rendered, 60 lawyers protested outside, and were promptly arrested.

Another Mosque has been bombed in the Punjab province of Pakistan, killing 12 women and children.

The Sri Lankan navy intercepted three boats carrying 40 Tamil Tigers rebels and with mediation from peace monitors were able to peacefully resolve the incident, helping to show that the peace process is making good progress. However, opposition parties demonstrated against easing of a ban on the Tigers.

7. Cyberterrorism and Information Warfare

The latest Federal Bureau of Investigation and Computer Security Institute survey of computer crime featured an unusual finding: the rate of insider attacks has dramatically fallen and external threats now outweigh internal.

The new Dedicated Cheque and Plastic Crime Unit is a specialized police unit that has been opened in the UK to fight fraud.

Microsoft has estimated lost sales of up to $300 million from a software piracy ring uncovered by the US Federal Bureau of Investigations Operation Cyberstorm. They arrested 27, mostly from the Silicon Valley area of California.

A series of vote at Vivendi Universals annual meeting was hacked, rendering the votes null and void and forcing a new meeting. Voting was conducted with the voters using handheld remotes. Investigation of the hack continues.

8. Finance

The trial of Mohamed Hussein for his role in the al Barakaat hawala has started in Massachusetts. He is charged only with running an unlicensed money transmittal agency, not as part of a terrorist financing network.

9. Human Rights

April 24 is the anniversary of the Armenian genocide of 1915.

The two prisoners at Guantanemo Bay, Cuba who had been on hunger strike and then force-fed, continue to refuse food. US authorities have said they will continue forced feeding as necessary. The two men have asked to be told what will happen to them.

10. Law and Legal Issues

In Germany, the al Qaeda trial continues. Aeurobui Beandali, one of the five on trial, broke ranks to confess his bomb-making and other activities.

The German police have arrested 11 members of the al Tawhid Islamic militant movement, under suspicion of terrorism. Their main activities were operational, such as arranging false papers.

In the Netherlands, Dutch police have arrested four suspected members of the Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat. They are accused of providing operational support including paperwork and money.

Philippine police have arrested more suspects in the General Santos bombing last Sunday. They are two more Islamic militants, joining members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front arrested earlier.

The Abu Sayyaf militants, holding two kidnapped American missionaries, have reneged on a ransom payment, taking #300,000 but refusing to turn over the hostages.

Zacarias Mousssaoui, charged with conspiracy in the September 11 attacks on the US, told the court that he distrusted his court-appointed lawyers, who were tools of the government, determined to kill him, and requested a Muslim lawyer or to represent himself. Funds that Moussaoui could have used to select his own attorney have been frozen. He said he prays for the destruction of the US and Israel. The judge ordered a mental examination to see if he could represent himself.

A British judge, who rejected the US attempt to extradite him for lack of evidence, has released Algerian pilot, Lofti Raissi.

The trial lawyers in the Daniel Pearl kidnapping and murder case have asked for a new judge, saying that the current judge was unable to control intimidation and threats against the prosecutors.

General Dragoljub Ojdanic, head of the Yugoslav army under Slobodan Milosevic, has arrived in The Hague and pleaded innocent to the war crimes tribunal.

11. Narco-terrorism

Efforts in Afghanistan to eradicate the poppy crop have not been entirely successful, with many farmers holding-out portions of crops in protest at below-market-rate compensation for destruction of the crop. Colombias drug growers are also thriving.

Read the feature articles this week and next for additional information on the gobal narcotics trade and its connection to terrorism.

12. Transportation

In a security crackdown at Washington DCs three main airports (Dulles, National, Baltimore), more than 100 employees have been arrested for lying on their security applications

13. Weapons of Mass Destruction

The US government cut the Energy Departments budget request for increased security at sites where nuclear materials are stored by over 90%. The requested amount $379.7 million was to cover security at storage facilities, cleanup sites, scientific facilities, transportation, training, detection equipment and so on. The White House approved only $26.4 million.

14. Recently Published

Boot, Max. The Savage Wars of Peace: Small Wars and the Rise of American Power. Basic Books.

Campbell, Kenneth J., Genocide and the Global Village. Palgrave.

Hirsch, James S. Riot and Remembrance; The Tulsa Race War and Its Legacy. Houghton Mifflin.

New England Journal of Medicine, April 25, 2002, Special issue on Smallpox includes "Responses to Dilution of Smallpox Vaccine", "Dose Effects of Smallpox Vaccine", and "Smallpox and Bioterrorism".

Power, Samantha. A Problem From Hell: America and the Age of Genocide. Basic Books.

Segev, Tom. Elvis in Jerusalem: Post-Zionism and the Americanization of Israel. Holt/Metropolitan.

FEATURE ARTICLE:

Paramilitaries in Colombia

Last weeks feature article talked about the alleged links between the Irish Republican Army (IRA) and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). These links have been under investigation by the US House International Relations Committee. Hearings this week were held on "The IRA in Colombia the Global Links of International Terrorism".

General Fernando Tapias, chairman of Colombias joint chiefs of staff, testified that at least seven IRA members had been involved in training, including urban warfare and explosives using mortars and bombs. He said that FARC methods had altered as a result of this training. He also said there was no evidence to show these individuals were sent by the IRA or that the IRA had any knowledge of their activities.

Perhaps Gerry Adams, the Sinn Fein leader, could have offered evidence on this point, but his advisors suggested that his testimony could be detrimental to the trials in Colombia of three men arrested last year. (See last weeks feature article.) Testimony from the Drugs Enforcement Agency and State Department also acknowledged there was no direct proof of involvement by the IRA or Sinn Fein. The IRA has also denied any such links.

Following proceedings on April 24, the committee reported that the IRA was part of an international network of terrorist training that included participation by Iran, Cuba, and the ETA Basque separatists. Committee chairman, Republican Henry Hyde, called for lifting aid restrictions to Colombia because, as the draft report states:

"It is likely that in the former FARC safe haven, these terrorist groups had been sharing techniques, honing their terrorism skills, using illicit drug proceeds in payment and collectively helping to challenge the rule of law in Colombia...

As the forces of global terrorism, illicit drugs, and organized crime converge upon Colombia to produce new challenges to the international system, the United States must reassess its current policy permitting military assistance."

Not all committee members agreed with these conclusions. Representative William Delahunt, a Democrat, said, "... we have been presented with a report short on facts and replete with speculation and surmise and opinion, much of which I disagree with." He further called it "an attempt to develop support for lifting the restrictions on our aid to the Colombian military".

Independent of the limitations of these findings, it is important that we do not focus on FARC at the expense of the broader issues around, first, the endemic violence in Colombia that includes other paramilitary groups, and second, the nature of the international narcotics industry. This issue of the newsletter discusses paramilitary groups in Colombia. Next week we take a look at narco-terrorism, that is, the relationship between the narcotics industry and terrorism.

There are three major groups in Colombia involved in political violence and terrorist activities: FARC, the United Self Defense Forces of Colombia (AUC), and the National Liberation Army (ELN).

FARC is the oldest and largest group. It is a popular movement among the rural poor, whose adherents number over 17,000. Led by Manuel Marulanda Velez ("Tirofijo", or "Sureshot"), they were formed in 1964 as the military wing of the Colombian Communist Party. Their activities include bombings, murder, kidnapping, extortion, hijacking and military actions.

A 3-year peace process between FARC and the Colombian government that began in 1999 was ended in February, following a hijacking and kidnapping. Since then, FARC has engaged in a wide-ranging campaign that includes the kidnapping of presidential candidate Ingrid Betancourt and economic attacks, including a bomb at a shopping mall.

The ELN is another left-wing insurgency, but its advocates find common ground with Fidel Castro and Che Guevara. It was formed in 1965 by a group of urban intellectuals and Catholic Liberation Theology priests. It was first led by Father Camilo Torres, killed in his first action with the group, then succeeded by other priests, including Manual Perez Martinez who led ELN until his death in 1998. Their web site quotes him saying "Peace cannot be understood merely as military demobilization; Rather it should be seen as a process of creating social justice".

The current leader is Nicolas Rodriques, ("Gabino"). ELNs supporters range from a high of about 5,000 to about 3,500 now, after a series of military defeats. They specialize in kidnapping and extortion, tempered with social work, and have not moved into narcotics, for moral reasons. The most successful kidnappers in Colombia, they took over 800 hostages last year. Their actions have included kidnapping of an entire airplane and crew and an entire church congregation.

Both FARC and ELN have frequently targeted the oil industry, especially the main inter-coastal pipeline.

The third main group, the AUC, is a right-wing counterinsurgency force. In 1997, a number of groups, including drug traffickers, warlords, and military personnel, united under Carlos Castano. There are approximately 9,000 members, reportedly paid a monthly salary. Their roots are in the protection of local drug lords, and their financing is still largely from the narcotics trade. Their main objective is to kill as many guerillas as they can, as well as those on the left they feel support them, including politicians, journalists, human rights workers, unionists, and educators. In the first ten months of 2000, the Colombian National Police reported 804 assassinations, 203 kidnappings, and 75 massacres with 507 victims.

AUC is particularly important because it has close ties to the Colombian army. The government has tried to distance itself from the death squads, but their numbers and attacks continue to grow. Their connections to the narcotics industry have also limited the effectiveness of control efforts, including the US Plan Colombia.

Continued cooperation between the AUC and members of the army has also limited the progress of peace discussions with ELN and FARC. They believe that the AUC paramilitary organization needs to be included in any disarmament initiative, and that any disarmament needs to be subject to independent verification. If the US decides to expand its funding to Colombia, resolution of these issues will be crucial to operational success.

In combating violence, it is vital that we keep in mind the context in which it operates. With this perspective, we can look from Colombia to Ireland and perhaps learn a valuable lesson. Despite the controversy that has flared up over the allegations of IRA involvement with FARC, despite this coinciding with domestic controversies over republican violence and security breeches, the peace process has continued. In the long run, continuation of the peace process in Ireland and the United Kingdom may be the best education of all.