The United States Senate Appropriations Committee approved this Thursday an item of 487 million dollars to deliver to Colombia during fiscal year 2024which starts in October this year.
(In context: Committee of the United States Congress proposes to defer aid to Colombia)
The item is almost identical to what Congress authorized for this year 2023 (ongoing) and some 20 million dollars above what President Joe Biden had requested at the beginning of the year.
(Read here: ‘Petro is returning Colombia to the 1990s’: US congressman)
The decision of the Senate, controlled by the Democratic party, will cause a train wreck with the House of Representatives where the budget for foreign operations has also been approved (only the plenary is missing), but at the moment this project does not include funds for Colombia.The Republicans in this House have chosen to defer the aid due to fears that it generates for the government of President Gustavo Petro.
“Of the funds assigned by this Law under titles III and IV, 487,375,000 million dollars must be available for assistance to Colombia,” says the project obtained by this newspaper.
The project approved by the Senate establishes that at least 40 million dollars will be invested in regional security of municipalities with high levels of illegal activities where priority will also be given to economic development programs.
As in previous versions of US aid, this one comes with strings attached.
On the one hand, the delivery of 20 percent of the aid destined to fight drugs (almost half of the resources requested) will depend on a certification from the Secretary of State confirming that the country is committed to the fight against narcotics.
20 percent can only be delivered when the Secretary of State certifies that Colombia is implementing a strategy to reduce (…) coca cultivation and cocaine production
“20 percent can only be released when the Secretary of State certifies that the Government of Colombia is implementing an effective, whole-of-government strategy to substantially and sustainably reduce the levels of coca cultivation and cocaine production in Colombia, including programs and activities that support the eradication of illicit crops, alternative development, drug interdiction, the dismantling of drug trafficking and money laundering networks.”, says the project, which will now go to the plenary.
Given President Gustavo Petro’s decision not to eradicate peasant coca crops, this condition could be difficult to meet.
The handover of another 5 percent will be conditioned on Colombia “bringing to justice those members of the police who ordered, directed, and used excessive force and engaged in other illegal acts against protesters in 2020 and 2021, and that the police fully cooperate with such efforts.”
20 percent of the funds directed to the Armed Forces will also depend on a certification stating that the Special Jurisdiction for Peace and other judicial authorities are sentencing the perpetrators of serious human rights violations, including those with command responsibility, to custodial sentences.
Likewise, progress is being made in reducing threats and attacks against defenders of human rights. H H. and other civil society activists, and judicial authorities are prosecuting and punishing those responsible for ordering and carrying out such attacks, among other things.
Likewise, that Afro-Colombian and indigenous communities are being protected and that the high military commanders and units allegedly responsible for ordering, committing, or covering up cases of false positives and other extrajudicial executionswho have committed other flagrant violations of human rights or carried out illegal interceptions, are being prosecuted by the courts.
The text of the project clarifies that none of the appropriated funds may be used to pay reparations to the victims of the conflict or compensation to those demobilized by the peace process.
SERGIO GOMEZ MASERI
EL TIEMPO correspondent
Washington
On Twitter @sergom68
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