The woman, who was repeatedly persecuted and threatened by the ex-guerrilla of the Farc – EP, will be compensated by the URT as ordered by the First Civil Court of the Specialized Circuit of Villavicencio.
The ruling recognized her status as a victim of forced abandonment of land, due to the fact that she was forced to leave her home located in the urban area of the La Julia inspection, in the municipality of Uribe, in Meta.
The woman acquired the 357-meter property in 1993. Once the remodeling work was completed, she moved to live with her five children and there she grew plantains, yucca, and mangoes. She lived happily. But her peace of mind was affected because her armed group forced her to join the militia, enrolled her on a list, and she had to attend all the meetings held in the camps.
On November 3, 2009, the woman was ordered to wear camouflage, carry weapons, and go to San Vicente del Caguan. She refused and her decision led her to leave her home in less than 24 hours. The guerrilla commander known by the alias “Rogelio” told her that for not complying with the order she had to leave the region.
He had no choice but to move to Bogotá, and while in the capital he received new threats for which he fled to Venezuela. In that country, he could not settle either and returned to Colombia. She buys a property in Saravena in Arauca and once the Farc-EP front 45 is installed, she forces her to move towards Villavicencio. Over time, this family tried to return to their property in the rural area of La Uribe, but found that it had been sold to someone else.
The URT brought the case before the courts, which ruled in his favor and ordered the restitution through compensation for equivalence, that is, that another property with similar characteristics to the ones he abandoned would be purchased. Meanwhile, the judge considered that the current residents of the property demonstrated the quality of being second occupants in good faith and, therefore, will continue to live on that land.
In addition to compensation with a new house in the place of her choice, the woman head of the household and now an elderly woman, has the right to the institutional offer of the State, prioritizing her condition as a vulnerable woman.
Source: Land Restitution Unit