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Families of the forcibly disappeared in the Colombian city of Medellin are hopeful that they will finally get to know the whereabouts of their loved ones next week when the exhumation of the world's largest urban mass grave begins to uncover the remains of up to 300 bodies, teleSUR correspondent in Colombia Natalia Margarita reported Thursday.
The exhumation expects to find bodies of up to 300 victims of a counter-insurgency campaign against left-wing rebels launched in 2002 by Colombian former President Alvaro Uribe.
Relatives of people disappeared during the military operation between 2002 and 2005 held a vigil ceremony near the site of the mass grave on the outskirts of Medellin before authorities started the process of uncovering the grave earlier this week.
Families of the possible victims in the mass grave put up silhouettes representing their disappeared loved ones during a ceremony. | Photo: Reuters
The bodies are buried under heaps of rubble and debris, as the site known as La Escombrera has been used as a construction waste dump for decades, according to teleSUR's Margarita.
While the process to remove the debris is already underway, authorities do not expect to start uncovering human remains until next week at the earliest.
The whole exhumation process could take months to complete.
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In 2002, then-President Uribe launched the Orian military operation aimed at cracking down on leftist political movements that were perceived as a threat to the right-wing Colombian government. Thousands were forcibly disappeared, many at the hands of paramilitary groups.
Police stand guard during a ceremony at the dump site, where the mass grave thought to contain up to 300 bodies is located. | Photo: AFP
The discovery of the mass graves comes amid the ongoing peace talks between the Colombian government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, known as the FARC, aimed at putting an end to over five decades of armed internal conflict that has claimed the lives of over 220,000 victims and impacted the lives of millions more.
With truth-seeking and reparations for victims both central issues of the armed conflict, the exhumation of the mass grave is intimately related to the peace process, according to Margarita.
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“The exhumation of the bodies in this place definitely has to due with the issue of truth-seeking, with the relatives finally being able to find out where the bodies of their beloved ones are and what exactly happened. It is also a very first step toward establishing responsibility,” said Margarita, adding that families of possible victims are demanding a full investigation into the deaths.
The current round of the peace process in Havana, Cuba, focuses on end-of-conflict issues and victims. The FARC have called on the government to expedite the creation of a Truth Commission to investigate abuses perpetrated in the conflict and uncover the truth as a foundation for peace, reconciliation, and justice.
Relatives of missing people look at photos of the disappeared during a ceremony at the site of the mass grave this week. | Photo: Reuters
Colombia's humanitarian crisis remains critical, despite the ongoing peace process between the government and the FARC.
A total of 5,782 bodies have been found in 4,496 mass graves in several regions of Colombia over the past nine years, and 4,527 of those killed are likely victims of paramilitary groups.
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The peace process does not include paramilitary groups, and there are ongoing investigations into the links between the former President Uribe and paramilitary forces in the country, held responsible for thousands disappearances and other human rights abuses.
Around 80 percent of the victims of Colombia's internal conflict are considered to be a result of right-wing paramilitary operations in the conflict.
Colombia's more than 50-year internal conflict has been the longest in Latin America.
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