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which is usually on the periphery of theseacts of disarmament, observing the eventswithout completely understanding them.And we don’t always think about what willhappen to them in the future. The topicisn’t included much in the manuals or thebooks written by experts on demobiliza-tion processes. But it is fundamental. It is only when we make an effort to dis-

cover and begin communication with thisforgotten, marginalized reality that webegin to learn about and understand thetrue nature of violence. If we have enoughhumility to listen, we will also begin tolearn about some of the ways forward outof hell and into a place of hope. The toolsand the direction we must go to buildpeace are often right in front of our eyes.In fact, many communities and their natur-al leaders are working anonymously everyday to build peace in extreme conditions. So my reflections are about these things:

on the one hand, the attitudes, workmethodologies, and programs that webring from our particular experiences asuniversity trained professionals and tech-

nical experts; and on the other hand, theenormous importance of what people arecontinuously doing and experiencing inthe midst of the most serious adversities.We are not always educated and preparedto value this second reality and to take itseriously. That’s why I want to talk aboutPastora.

When our team learned about PastoraMira, we felt the need to meet her, tolearn about her life and hear her

testimony. Her simple dress, short hair,her shoes, her mannerisms, her humility,her direct but calm way of speaking, thestory of her life and her history—all ofthese things define Pastora. Herorganization of women victims of violence,her search for truth, her faith, and herleadership style are also part of who she is.But perhaps the most striking thing abouther is her incredible willingness to work ontrue reconciliation—not in discourse, butin the daily life of her people.In that sense, Pastora is also Colombia, a

country of great pain that does not resignitself, a place that moves and continues tostruggle, inspired by an inner strength thatwe still don’t understand. But it is consis-tent, untiring, like Pastora. Pastora thinksand acts from her heart, and that’s howshe speaks with demobilized paramilitarymen and tries to understand them andhelp them. You have to have a lot of heartto do that. Pastora Mira is from San Carlos in

Antioquia, a small town in the mountains,four hours driving distance from Medellín.You have to travel with caution in this area,and not by night, because armed actorsuse the highway and something seriouscould happen. During the height of the vio-lence here, this population was hard hitboth by guerrilla groups and paramilitaryforces. Many people in the town are stillwaiting for some bit of news that might

help them locate disappeared family mem-bers. Landmines have also changed dailylife in the community. And now, more than40 former paramilitary members whodemobilized from the Autodefensas Unidasde Colombia (AUC) through the peaceprocess are trying to fit back into civilianlife in this place. Pastora has always lived here, since the

beginning of La Violencia in 1948, whenliberals and conservatives began theirbloody clashes. Her father was a victim ofthat violence. He was murdered in front ofher and the rest of the family. Many yearslater, two of her sons disappeared after an

attack by paramilitary groups. Pastora stillsearches for them, and will search forthem her whole life. It is one of her bigmissions in life. She isn’t strident. Shebarely raises her voice. But she is extraor-dinarily determined and consistent—espe-cially because, as she says, “the circle hasto be closed,” so that these things neverhappen again. She is looking for effective,practical, possible forms of reconciliation.Pastora Mira is a former police inspector

here and is currently a member of thetown council. She is a small, restlesswoman who goes about the entire day witha smile on her face in spite of the weight ofThe OAS Mission to

Support the Peace

Process in Colombia

MAPP-OAS was created in2004 with the objective of

assisting the peaceprocesses, the verification

and monitoring ofagreements, and the

support of communitiesthat have been victims of

violence

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We have known for a long time that weneed to listen to the voices of the peoplewho have been injured by the brutalactions of illegal armed groups inColombia, because they are the ones whocan give us a better understanding of whatis happening. These men and women, gen-erally from communities located far fromstate institutions, are the primary protago-nists who must be taken into account.Their wellbeing should also be the mainconcern whenever actions are taken todecrease the effects of violence and torecover territories and communities inorder to build peace. It is rare, however,that their voices are reflected in programsand actions or in the images transmittedby the media. As the show of paramilitary men turning

in their weapons ended, many peoplecame to believe that it was all over inColombia and that the work was done. Butthat is not so. These are precisely themoments when a critical phase in peace-building begins. And we don’t always seeit. We don’t always notice the population,

The first thing I should say is that thisarticle will not be an analysis of theOAS Mission to Support the PeaceProcess in Colombia. Rather, it willbe the testimony of someone whoparticipated in that mission as part ofa significant team of professionalsfrom the Americas and from Europe.

It is also an effort to value the importanceof the people who are directly affected bythe violence.

the Mission verified the demobilization of31,651 members of paramilitary groupsand the turning in of 18,002 weapons(13,734 rifles). But, the peace process ismuch more than the dismantling anddemobilization of armed groups. It impliesa great effort on a number of fronts thatmust be supported simultaneously in anintegrated fashion. These include process-es for reintegrating the former combatantsinto society and working with the commu-nities that receive them. And this, ofcourse, implies community peace-buildingefforts. Major efforts must also be made to

strengthen transitional justice systemsaimed at giving hundreds of thousands ofvictims access to truth, justice, and repara-tions. Another important element is the“recovery of historic memory,” collectingtestimonies to ensure that the real historyof the violence is recorded faithfully.Finally, the process involves effortstowards reconciliation. In Colombia, one enormous challenge is

that of making reparations to the victims ofviolence. That involves a number of mea-sures including the difficult task of restor-ing confiscated lands.

OAS/MAPP decided to concentrate itsverification and monitoring efforts in theregions where communities have beenmost affected by the violence. The Missionhas served as a bridge and supported insti-tutions involved in peace-building, givingspecial attention to the accompaniment ofthe victims of violence through specificprograms and projects in the most remotecommunities of the country. The objectiveof all of this work is to strengthen and con-solidate the peace process being built byColombian men and women.The OAS Secretary General summed it

up with the following: “OAS/MAPP hasbeen able to implement its mandate withcreativity and commitment as it takes onthe enormous challenges presented by theprocess, and it has consolidated itself asthe continent’s primary support mecha-nism for the peace process in Colombia.Today, the inter-American community hasan effective tool for supporting Colombia’sinitiatives to broaden and deepen theseconcrete actions towards a firm and lastingpeace in the country.

—Alexis Del Pozo

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grief. This small woman, with all of herapparent fragility, has been a witness and aprotagonist of a social movement in themunicipality that has been able to over-come violence and transform it into soli-darity and hope. By working with both vic-tims and victimizers, they are building amodel of reintegration that comes from thepeople. The project has changed the waythat people in this community see history. The project is called CARE. It was one

of the first public policies for victims creat-ed by a municipality in the country, evenbefore the “Peace and Justice” law waspassed in Colombia to demobilize the para-military groups.When we heard Pastora’s story, we

thought she might represent quite a fewthings about Colombia that most peopledon’t know about: a Colombia where peo-ple are making incredibly significantefforts because of a need to survive inplaces of great isolation. We thought wehad the duty to learn about these effortsand tell others about them. Contrary to what it may seem like at

times, communities are not playing a pas-sive role in peace processes. In fact, theyare the ones who safeguard the permanentand transcendent values of human coexis-tence, which are not only the values ofColombia, but also universal values thatare lost too often in our big cities. In thesecommunities and towns that have sufferedmarginalization, poverty, and violencemore than anyone, a natural leadership hasemerged that we must listen to and under-stand.

On one occasion, we had a chance toconverse with peasant farmers in the areaaround Santa Fe de Ralito, in theDepartment of Córdoba. It was an areawhere a group of paramilitary bosses weregathered as they engaged in dialogue withthe government. The townspeople of thatplace—men and women without formaleducation in concepts of institutional jus-tice—taught us about some of their funda-mental values and their vision of the world.They taught us about the love of their landand their willingness to work for their com-munity with solidarity and with faith.In Colombia, between the years of 2004

and 2008, more than 31,000 members ofparamilitary groups were demobilized.They turned over their weapons, and thenthe state began a process to recover terri-tories, communities, and departments.Violence, death, kidnappings, and forceddisappearances decreased. The almost200,000 victims have an important placeand an agenda in this effort to rebuild the

social fabric. Actions of justice and repara-tions are beginning to occur, and the truthabout what happened is beginning to betold. The OAS has been present and hasaccompanied this process with great dedi-cation and pride.As we think about what has been done

so far, and as we take action in the futurealongside our Colombian brothers and sis-ters, we will never forget about Pastora.We remember her and the thousands ofanonymous men and women who don’tjust talk about peace; they build it everyday. Our biggest lesson is present in thefaces of these people—important faces,faces that humanize us and tell us of thereal meaning and the real reason for ourparticipation. 1.

Sergio Caramagna was the Chief of theOAS Mission to Support the PeaceProcess in Colombia from early 2004until the end of 2008.

The project is called CARE. It was one of the first public

policies for victims created by a municipality in the

country, even before the “Peace and Justice” law was

passed in Colombia to demobilize the paramilitary groups

AMÉRICAS 57

On January 23, 2004, the government ofColombia officially invited the OAS toverify and accompany its efforts toimplement a peace agreement with

illegal armed actors in the country. TheOAS Mission to Support the Peace Process(OAS/MAPP) was created with theobjective of providing a broad and flexibleaccompaniment of these efforts. It hasparticipated in all of the “Disarmament,Demobilization, and Reintegration” (DDR)activities aimed at demobilizing armedstructures like the paramilitary“Autodefensas Unidas de Colombia” andthe Guevarista Revolutionary Army, and ithas also accompanied victimizedcommunities.From the beginning, the OAS Mission

has documented the peace process inColombia, making it more visible, and high-lighting the challenges and achievementsof the process through one of its primarytools for disseminating information—thequarterly reports that the SecretaryGeneral presents to the OAS PermanentCouncil.To get an idea of the dimension of the

peace process: in the first two years alone,

The OAS mission in Colombia

Through the MAPP, the OAS has supportedlocal initiatives in conflict zones with

specific measures, actions, and projectsaimed at reducing violence, cementingtrust, achieving reconciliation, and

strengthening democracy

Pastora Mira

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