Colombia: Living accommodations of a Colombian military conscript; whether the accommodations are on a base or a guarded community barrack; whether a conscript can live on the base during the week and be allowed to return home for the weekend; whether relatives of a conscript can live on the base, which relatives and for how long (2002-2003)
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 3 May 2005 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | COL43547.E |
| Reference | 2 |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Colombia: Living accommodations of a Colombian military conscript; whether the accommodations are on a base or a guarded community barrack; whether a conscript can live on the base during the week and be allowed to return home for the weekend; whether relatives of a conscript can live on the base, which relatives and for how long (2002-2003), 3 May 2005, COL43547.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/42df60d234.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. |
The following information was provided by a consular representative at the Colombian Embassy in Ottawa in correspondence sent to the Research Directorate on 29 April and 2 May 2005.
There is a difference in the housing conditions of soldiers and officers. Soldiers have to live on the base during their training, live in shared accommodations and take turns for weekend leaves, while officers can live in individual apartments, or houses if they have a family (casas fiscales). All the above accommodations are located on the military bases; however, officers can choose to live outside the military base.
The Colombian government has an institute, the Military Housing Institute of the Army (Instituto de Casas Fiscales del Ejército – ICFE), which is in charge of providing housing for married officers and non-commissioned officers (Colombia 2003). Attempts to contact the Institute were unsuccessful.
For more information, including on whether conscripts' relatives can live on the base and for how long, please consult COL40966.E of 28 May 2003.
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 for refugee protection. Please find below the list of additional sources consulted in researching this Information Request.
References
Colombia. 2003. Instituto de Casas Fiscales del Ejército. "Información General."
Embassy of Colombia in Ottawa. 2 May 2005 and 29 April 2005. Correspondence from a consular representative.
Additional Sources Consulted
Oral sources: The Embassy of Colombia in Canada, the recruitment division of the Colombian Army (Dirección de Reclutamiento y Control Reservas del Ejército) and the Instituto de Casas Fiscales del Ejército did not provide information within the time constraints of this Response. Attempts to reach the Fondation Querido Soldado were unsuccessful.
Internet sites, including: Dirección de Reclutamiento y Control Reservas del Ejército, Ejército Nacional de Colombia, Escuela Superior de Guerra, Instituto de Casas Fiscales del Ejército, Ministerio de Defensa Nacional de Colombia, Revista Cambio, Semana, World News Connection.