Border towns in Ecuador target of assassinations - two community leaders dead

[Judi Lynn]

Border towns in Ecuador target of assassinations - two community leaders dead
October 17, 3:14 PMSF
Foreign Policy Examiner
Maria Lewytzkyj

Leaflets threaten social cleansing of marginalized groups like drug addicts, thieves and prostitutes in communities living in San Lorenzo, Ecuador. San Lorenzo is a port town on the north coast of Ecuador. Along with receiving reports about these leaflets while visiting Esmeraldas, a city south of San Lorenzo, Refugees International has also received several reports of the presence of newly reorganized Colombian paramilitary groups operating in San Lorenzo. They also have received reports that the same type of leaflets are being circulated inside of Colombia by newly organized paramilitary groups who are gradually exercising social control over the communities, while also conducting criminal activities and trafficking narcotics.

On September 28th and 29th, two Ecuadorian community leaders were assassinated. Both Miguel Lapo and Miguel Pinzon were connected to the Colombian violence through their direct assistance to Colombian refugees along the border between Ecuador and Colombia. Lapo was assassinated in Barranca Bermeja and Pinzon was assassinated in the town of San Martin. Both are border towns, both are in the province of Sucumbíos.

Andrea Lari, Senior Advocate of Refugees International released the following statement yesterday,

“Refugees International calls for a thorough investigation by the Ecuadorian authorities into the murder of these leaders, while also calling on the U.S. government and countries neighboring Colombia to pursue a multilateral regional effort to address the humanitarian and protection dimensions of the Colombian refugee crisis. A starting point should be providing resources for expanding the presence of international humanitarian actors in border areas, given the increasing number of Colombian refugees fleeing their country. They should also assure support for basic services and infrastructure expansion which would benefit host communities and refugees alike.”

Representative Jim McGovern of Massachussetts, who visited the community where both Lapo and Pinzon worked in November 2008, recently released the following letter:

It is with deep sorrow that I learned of the recent deaths of two prominent community leaders on the Ecuadorian border with Colombia. Miguel Lapo and Miguel Pinzón were murdered by unknown perpetrators on September 28th and September 29th.

Mr. Lapo was killed in Barrancabermeja, Ecuador – a town just across the river from Colombia that he helped found 20 years ago. Mr. Pinzón was assassinated in the nearby town of San Martín.

I met Mr. Lapo in November 2008, when I traveled to Barranca Bermeja to learn more about the spillover effects of Colombia’s armed conflict into Ecuador. Mr. Lapo had organized a community meeting for my visit, at which I heard heartbreaking testimonies of the challenges faced by Colombian refugees and Ecuadorians living in the border region – the people Mr. Lapo dedicated his life to protect.

Although my visit with Miguel Lapo was brief, it was clear to me that he was a dedicated, intelligent, and caring man who fought for peace and the rights of both Colombian refugees and Ecuadorians living in his community.

While we don’t yet know the killers’ identities, I fear that these murders are part of an effort – whether by Colombian armed groups or narco-trafficking organizations – to intimidate all independent social organizations in the region.

I call on the Government of Ecuador to fully investigate the deaths of Miguel Lapo and Miguel Pinzón. The Government of Ecuador has recently taken important steps to provide legal recognition to the hundreds of thousands of Colombians seeking refuge within its borders. Identifying and prosecuting those responsible for the recent murders is essential if Ecuador is to achieve its stated goal of protecting vulnerable refugee communities and encouraging good governance and development in border communities.

At this moment, my thoughts, prayers and most sincere condolences are with the families, friends and colleagues of Mr. Lapo and Mr. Pinzón, and my attention and solidarity are always with the many Ecuadorian border communities that have so generously provided shelter and welcome to so many refugees from Colombia’s violent conflict.

More:
http://www.examiner.com/x-5249-SF-Foreign-Policy-Examiner~y2009m10d17-Border-towns-in-Ecuador-target-of-assassinations--two-community-leaders-dead

[Joe Chi Minh]

1. K&R