{"id":9790,"date":"2017-06-16T10:13:06","date_gmt":"2017-06-16T14:13:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/english.cpnn-world.org\/?p=9790"},"modified":"2019-10-10T12:01:09","modified_gmt":"2019-10-10T16:01:09","slug":"spike-in-colombian-violence-underlines-ongoing-need-for-peacebuilding-prayer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/english.cpnn-world.org\/?p=9790","title":{"rendered":"Spike in Colombian violence underlines ongoing need for peacebuilding, prayer"},"content":{"rendered":"
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FREE FLOW OF INFORMATION<\/p>\n

An article from the Mennonite World Review<\/a><\/p>\n

Partners of Mennonite Central Committee in Colombia continue to walk with people affected by more than 50 years of violence as new armed conflict emerges even after a peace accord.
\nViolence among armed groups is escalating as FARC-EP guerrillas demobilize, threatening Mennonite Brethren churches in the Choc\u00f3 region.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
\nMembers of a Colombian Mennonite Brethren Conference visit a rural community in the San Juan region shortly after the community experienced significant flooding. The community is stuck in the middle of violence between the Gaitanista Self Defence Forces of Colombia, a paramilitary group that occupies the area, and a guerrilla group vying for power. \u2014 Brendah Ndagire\/MCC <\/center><\/p>\n

The country\u2019s largest rebel group, FARC-EP \u2014 the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia \u2014 signed a peace accord with the government last year. But \u201cthere is still a long journey toward peace,\u201d said Amy Eanes, an advocacy support specialist for MCC in Colombia.<\/p>\n

Some armed groups are becoming more active, hoping to assert dominance and claim territory once occupied by the FARC-EP.<\/p>\n

This is especially true in rural areas of the Choc\u00f3 region, where MCC partners with the Mennonite Brethren Conference, whose members are working and praying for peace.<\/p>\n

Living in fear<\/strong><\/p>\n

A member of one of the churches, Maria Camila, whose real name isn\u2019t being used to protect her identity, says another guerrilla group is fighting the Gaitanista Self Defence Forces of Colombia, a paramilitary group that normally occupies the area, and it\u2019s very dangerous there now.<\/p>\n

(Article continued in right column)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Question related to this article:<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
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What is happening in Colombia, Is peace possible?<\/a><\/p>\n

(Article continued from left column)<\/p>\n

Armed conflict between the two groups broke out in February, months after the peace accord was signed by the FARC-EP. In one part of the town, the guerrilla group threatened to shoot civilians if they didn\u2019t open their doors because the guerrilla fighters believed members of the paramilitary group were hiding there.<\/p>\n

\u201cEven though you know that God says that wars will come and in the midst of all these things God will protect you, it was something so terrible \u2014 to feel the shootout, to hear the sounds,\u201d\u2008she said. \u201cI just said, \u2018Lord, have mercy on us and watch over us,\u2019 but we thought this was going to be the end.\u201d<\/p>\n

Camila has never felt so unsafe. \u201cWe aren\u2019t free to walk around at night. We all live shut in our houses,\u201d\u2008she said. \u201cAll of us in the community are frightened. That\u2019s why we\u2019re living like this.\u201d<\/p>\n

She has little faith the peace accord will make a difference in her community or other rural areas in Colombia.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn reality, the hope we have is from God,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Teaching peace<\/strong><\/p>\n

MCC continues to support partners in Colombia that work on peacebuilding initiatives and assist some of the most vulnerable families, particularly those displaced by violence. The conflict has resulted in 7 million internally displaced people.<\/p>\n

In April, MCC embarked on a three-year peace-education project with the Mennonite Brethren Regional Council of Choc\u00f3 to promote an understanding of a culture of peace and how to encourage peacebuilding among youth and young adults.<\/p>\n

One of MCC\u2019s partners, the Church Coordination for Psychosocial Action, supports churches and organizations, enabling them to provide trauma awareness and healing, build resilience and contribute to peacebuilding and reconciliation in Colombia.<\/p>\n

MCC works with a number of Mennonite churches and organizations in Colombia who have been actors for peace for many years.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe churches are figuring out what this post-accord period will look like for them, and I think it\u2019s important to walk alongside these partners,\u201d Eanes said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

FREE FLOW OF INFORMATION An article from the Mennonite World Review Partners of Mennonite Central Committee in Colombia continue to walk with people affected by more than 50 years of violence as new armed conflict emerges even after a peace accord. Violence among armed groups is escalating as FARC-EP guerrillas demobilize, threatening Mennonite Brethren churches … Continue reading Spike in Colombian violence underlines ongoing need for peacebuilding, prayer<\/span> →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15,77],"tags":[20],"class_list":["post-9790","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-information","category-latin-america","tag-latin-america"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/english.cpnn-world.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9790","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/english.cpnn-world.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/english.cpnn-world.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/english.cpnn-world.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/english.cpnn-world.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=9790"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/english.cpnn-world.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9790\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/english.cpnn-world.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=9790"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/english.cpnn-world.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=9790"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/english.cpnn-world.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=9790"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}