Colombia: Information on an Army unit, the Brigade IV, stationed in Medellin, whose activities included information gathering and providing support and services nationally to the Army
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 1 June 1998 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | COL29556.E |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Colombia: Information on an Army unit, the Brigade IV, stationed in Medellin, whose activities included information gathering and providing support and services nationally to the Army, 1 June 1998, COL29556.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6acbb84.html [accessed 17 September 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
Specific information on the activities of Brigade IV of the Colombian Army could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate.
A March 1995 Jane's Defence Weekly article reports that the Medellin-headquartered 4th Mechanized Infantry Brigade, one of Colombia's 12 combat brigades, has been "removed from the divisional organization [of the Army] to form a mobile striking force." The attached excerpt from a 1993 Human RightsWatch/Americas Report provides information on the definition, roles and activities of Colombia's mobile forces.
Bogotá's Radio Caracol reports that the Fourth Brigade Marte Group units deactivated more than 200 kg of explosives found in a car bomb left near the military unit's installations which are located in a residential and commercial neighbourhood in the western part of Medellin (3 Sept. 1997).
A Xinhua article reported during the chase for Pablo Escobar, Colombia's well-known drug-trafficker, that the army's 4th brigade "distributed leaflets" in Medellin offering an increased reward for information on Escobar's whereabouts (21 Aug. 1990).
In an October 1990 article, Reuters mentions that General Harold Bedoya is the commander of the Medellin-based 4th Army Brigade. However, General Gustavo Pardo is named as commander of the 4th Army Brigade in a December 1990 Reuters' article.
This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum.
References
Jane's Defence Weekly. March 1995. "Colombia-Defense Priorities Outlined." (NEXIS)
Radio Caracol [Santa Fé de Bogotá, in Spanish]. 3 September 1997. "Authorities Defuse Powerful Car Bomb in Medellin." [BBC Summary of World Broadcasts. 5 Sept. 1997/NEXIS]
Reuter. 5 October 1990. Adrian Croft. "Drug War ttuce Transforms Colombia's Most Violent City." (NEXIS)
_____. 13 December 1990. AM Cycle. "ColombiaN Guerrilla Group Says it Killed Policemen." (NEXIS)
Xinhua News Agency. 21 August 1990. "Latin American News Brief." (NEXIS)
Attachment
Human Rights Watch/Americas. 1993. State Of War: Political Violence and Counterinsurgency in Colombia. New York: HRW, pp. 65-73.
Additional Sources Consulted
Clear and Present Dangers: The U.S. Military and the War on Drugs in the Andes.1991.
Call, Charles; Youngers, Coletta; Wilde, Alex. Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA), Washington, DC: WOLA.
Colombia: Inside the Labyrinth. 1990. Pearce, Jenny. London: Latin America Bureau.
Colombia's Killer Networks: The Military-Paramilitary Partnership and the United States. 1996. Human Rights Watch / Americas. New York: HRW.
Colombian National Police, Human Rights and U.S. Drug Policy. 1993. Call, Chuck
Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA). Washington, DC: WOLA.
Crime and Justice International: The Americas [Chicago]. 1997-1998.
Jane's Intelligence Review [London]. 1996-1998.
Latinamerica Press [Lima].1990-1998.
Latin American Weekly Report [London]. 1990-1998.
Political Violence in Colombia: Myth and Reality. 1994. Amnesty International.
New York, NY: Amnesty International.
Electronic Sources: IRB Databases, Global News Bank, Internet, REFWORLD, World News Connection (WNC).
One oral source could not be reached for this Response to Information Request.