At a meeting of communities on the northern border of Ecuador on June 16, a document prepared by the Ministry of National Defense, the National Police and the Anti-Narcotics Directorate of Colombia was made public, in which clear instructions were given to resume aerial spraying with glyphosate, starting June 1 of this year, in order to combat illegal coca crops, supposedly located in this area.
The document, dated May 16 of this year, addressed to the Mayor of San Miguel (Putumayo) states in its core part "(…) The National Police will begin on June 1, 2012, aerial spraying of illicit crops of coca leaf bushes detected in the Department of Putumayo. (…) Under the environmental zoning parameters contemplated in the Environmental Management Plan (resolution 1054 of September 30, 2003 issued by the Ministry of Environment)." The letter is signed by Colonel Julio César González Bedoya, who at the time of signing the document served as Head of the Illicit Crop Eradication Area.
For Daniel Alarcón, a community leader of FORCCOFES, in the meeting held with at least 80 local leaders, it was assessed that the Colombian intention represents a serious risk for the Ecuadorian communities, since in the past, when this type of fumigation was carried out, it was demonstrated that the health of the Ecuadorian inhabitants who are located in the border cordon was affected. In this meeting, it was decided to create a monitoring commission to disseminate information in case it is proven that these activities are restarted.
At the moment, farmers in the area say they have not detected the presence of Colombian aircraft carrying out this type of aerial spraying. There are versions that indicate that there was a meeting of Colombian mayors in which it was decided to reject the resumption of these activities. They claim to have the support of local authorities in the border areas who oppose this type of activity.
They mention that in the Colombian zone, illicit crops have been fumigated manually at the moment, respecting the 10-kilometer strip established in the Agreement between Ecuador and Colombia.
Ecuador sued the Colombian government before the international court in The Hague in March 2008 for causing serious damage to the health of residents in the border area and their crops.
For its part, the Colombian Government, through its diplomatic representation in Ecuador, has not issued any official statement to date, nor has it responded to the requests for the drafting of this note.
FOUNTAIN: Environmental Information Agency
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