United Kingdom Ministry of Defence experts have made at least 10 trips to Bogota in the past three years to advise the Colombian government on counter-terrorism tactics, the department has revealed.
The programme of military aid demonstrates how closely the UK government is involved — despite opposition from British human rights groups — in supporting the war against Marxist rebels and the drug cartels.
Amnesty International and the anti-poverty charity War on Want have repeatedly accused the Colombian army of committing human rights abuses and collaborating with right-wing paramilitaries.
Fresh details of the Ministry of Defence’s involvement have been obtained by The Guardian under the UK’s ”open government code”. Other aspects of military cooperation have been withheld on grounds of national security.
Military assistance, the ministry explains, is provided ”to improve the democratic control of armed forces, to help reduce conflict and to reduce the impact of conflict upon civilian populations”.
Training has focused on ”the safe disposal of mines and other forms of explosive devices, which last year were responsible for over half the deaths in the Colombian armed forces and also have a devastating effect on the civilian population”.
British explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) experts have made 10 visits in three years: in January and September 2000, April 2001, February 2002 and March 2003. They dealt variously with ”disposal of explosive devices”, ”advice on protection of police stations against terrorist attacks” and ”EOD training support”.
The trip in March this year involved participation ”in a counter-terrorist seminar”. Colombian police stations have frequently been attacked by the main rebel group, Farc. Lessons learned about protecting police stations in Northern Ireland from past Irish Republican Army attacks have been shared.
The total cost of advice in the past three years, the ministry says, was £35 000. A similar level of assistance is planned for this year. The ministry has also arranged for senior Colombian army officers to attend training courses in Britain. Three have been studying in the country this year. ”Such courses help to introduce students to British defence concepts,” the ministry says.
At the same time, the UK Foreign Office is supporting — at a cost of £14 723 — a project to ”raise awareness in the Colombian armed forces on their role in prevention and protection of the rights of internally displaced people”.
The UK government has been reluctant in the past to give details about military missions. One reason is the role of the SAS, the UK’s special forces, whose activities are never formally acknowledged.
Sent by Margaret Thatcher in 1989 to fight the drug cartels, they are believed to have extended their role to counter-insurgency training. — Â