Between 1991 and 2006, Colombian peasant families were forced to abandon six million hectares of land under armed pressure from paramilitary armies fighting against guerrillas. These paramilitary forces had the support of traditional regional elites, and illegally armed allies to gain control over public resources. As a result, addressing land issues and internal displacement has been vital in the peace process.
Mauricio Romero Vidal, a current visiting scholar at David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies at Harvard University, will discuss how the debate about land restitution is shaping the possibility for peace in war-torn Colombia. Dr. Romero Vidal has worked as the director of the disarmament, demobilization, and reintegration (DDR) area of the Colombian National Commission for Reparation and Reconciliation. His book Paramilitares y Autodefensas, 1982-2003 (Editorial Planeta, 2003), addresses human rights abuses, security threats, organized crime, and reconciliation in the post-conflict context.
February 24, 2014 from 4:30 to 7:00 in Johnson Center Meeting Room D. Free & open to the public.
February 11, 2014