Cauca River Recognised As a Victim of The Armed Conflict in Colombia

Following the 2016 peace agreement, a special tribunal, the Special Peace Jurisdiction (JEP), was created to hold combatants accountable and deliver reparations to victims of Colombia’s armed conflict. The magistrates of this court, alongside leaders from indigenous and Afro-Colombian groups, held a symbolic ceremony for the River Cauca. Last year, the court made a historic decision, recognizing the Cauca River as a victim of the conflict. However, due to ongoing violence and security concerns in the area, the ceremony to acknowledge this designation had to be postponed until this year.

Why is the decision historic?

There are no precedents for a decision of this kind in Colombia. The court decided that the river was to be designated in this way because of its environmental importance, using the ‘Forum for Truth’, an organ within the special jurisdiction, to credit the river.  The ceremony was held in La Balsa, a town in the municipality of Buenos Aires, Cauca. 

The events that sparked the decision took place between 2000 and 2004. Colombia’s armed forces and paramilitary groups engaged in the systematic disposal of murder victims in the river, aiming to erase all traces of their crimes. These key actions perpetrated by combatants cemented the Cauca River as a victim of the conflict.

Carlos Guillermo Castro, one of the magistrates, expressed that this ceremony aimed to purify and cleanse the river for these atrocities. It is meant to be a symbolic event, specifically designed to promote healing for the river. In addition to this, the decision was intended to revise the natural rights of the river.

Many locals from nearby municipalities, who had suffered the horrors of the armed conflict, attended the ceremony.

The Cauca River itself is more than 900 km long, and close to 180 municipalities are located on its shores. According to the court, the connection between their inhabitants and the river was lost after it stopped being a life source. 

The Cauca River is home to fishermen and is where baptizing ceremonies take place, and its importance as a natural wonder cannot be overstated. Deyanira Peña, a representative of the Community Council of Cauca River, celebrated this decision, stating that “Cauca River has taken away some of our loved ones, but has also brought us happiness and tranquility.”