We witness a continuation of the Israeli genocide against the Palestinian people. We need to go beyond condemnation, and go towards concrete action and firm rejection of the genocidal state of Israel, whose conduct is more evident than ever.
As Colombian people, the genocide and the liberation of the Palestinian people is twinned with that of our own country.
As more than two years have passed since the genocide of more than 60,000 people in Palestine, we can see a direct connection to Colombia. Most of the coal that Israel has received comes from the Colombian subsoil. According to the Ministry of Commerce, in 2023, coal exports to Israel reached US$446.9 million FOB, representing 3 million tons of coal. The largest miners from January to March 2024 are Cerrejón Zona Norte coal (Glencore), with 54.3%, and Drummond with 45.7%. Even so, this only represents a total of 4.2% of Colombian coal exports (2024), demonstrating a low economic impact, compared to its extremely high consequences against human life, and direct complicity in a genocide.
On the other hand, these violations represent a double genocide, both towards the Palestinian people and towards the Colombian people itself, especially the communities and civil society directly affected by the mega-mining, evidencing the continuous extermination of indigenous peoples in the country. The Yukpa indigenous people, who live on the border with Venezuela, have lost more than 16,732 hectares of land as a result of the 5 open-pit coal mines located in their ancestral territory. Resulting in a profound aggression that has been recognized by the Colombian Constitutional Court as a physical and cultural extermination of the Yukpa people. Similarly, in Guajira where Cerrejón, the largest open-pit coal mine in Latin America, is located. This has resulted in more than 5,000 deaths of Wayuu children from acute malnutrition and water scarcity, which has been directly contributed to by open-pit coal mining.
Likewise, in these regions, there has been continuous violence against the trade union movement, evidenced by the fact that the same mercenaries who have murdered trade unionists in Colombia, have had a direct relationship with Israel: The creation of the AUC and specifically the Juan Andres Alvarez Front by Israeli mercenaries, is an example of the participation of the Zionist state in the genocide of the trade union movement in Colombia, these paramilitaries ended up murdering more than 3,900 trade unionists, 161 of them workers in the mining-energy sector of the North Coast, 5 of them members of the Board of Directors of Sintramienergetica. These crimes “guaranteed and guarantee” the export of more than 70% of the coal consumed by Israel, at derisory prices and with the loss of lives, serious environmental, social and cultural impacts for our people. Thus, the cessation of exploitation and export of Colombian coal to Israel unites the Palestinian people and the Colombian people in their struggle for self-determination, permanence in territory and a life in dignity.
Decree 1047 and the energy embargo
The Decree 1047 of 14 August 2024, ‘establishing a ban on coal exports to Israel’ was issued by President Gustavo Petro, positioning Colombia as a historic example as the first country to announce an energy embargo against Israel. However, the lack of fulfilment of this Decree has been evidenced with the continued export of Colombian coal to Israel since its signature was evidenced in the following vessels:
Specifically, 905,666 tonnes of coal have been declared as exports from Colombian ports bound for Israel. The ships have flown the flags of Panama, the Marshall Islands and Malta, countries that are effectively defying the government by allowing these ships to set sail. This material has continued to fuel Israel’s energy matrix, illegal settlements, and arms industry. Below is a graph with information on these exports from the export databases of the National Tax and Customs Department (DIAN) up to January of this year:
Showing the lack of fulfilment of the Decree, which is based on compliance with the International Court of Justice, which reinforces the obligation of all States to adopt concrete measures to prevent genocide, including economic measures to avoid the continuation of ongoing violations (ICJ, 2024):
‘That the restrictive measure on coal exports shall remain in force until the provisional measures orders issued by the International Court of Justice in the Proceedings for the Implementation of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide in the Gaza Strip (South Africa v. Israel) are fully complied with’ (ICJ, 2024) .
The Colombian State’s obligation to take measures in accordance with International Law, in the face of the genocide of the Palestinian people.
From Colombian civil society we jointly reject the unbridled continuation of genocide against the Palestinian people, we demand an immediate halt to the export of coal to the genocidal state of Israel, and we demand the fulfilment of Decree 1047 of August 2024, and to move towards severing all commercial and military relations with Israel.
Signed,
Organización Nacional Indígena de Colombia (ONIC) – Gerardo Jumí, Consejero General.
Sintracarbon
Union Sindical Obrera (USO)
Sintraminergetica
Corporación trabajadores por la tierra
Acción Colombiana por la Soberanía Ambiental
Tadamun Antimili
Movimiento BDS Colombia