In an official ceremony today, presided by Colombia's Attorney
General, 30 Colombian families will be able to bring closure to
their years of pain and suffering when they bury the remains of
their loved ones killed in violence.

IOM facilitated the families' travel from the department of
Antioquia in northwest Colombia, to the city of Medellin where the
ceremony is taking place. 

The remains were found in Antioquia following confessions made
by demobilized paramilitaries.  The information provided by
the demobilized individuals led a team from the Justice and Peace
Unit of the Attorney General's Office to a mass grave near
Medellin.

After the remains were exhumed, DNA tests, as well as dental
records and items of clothing were used for identification before
family members were contacted.

According to the Attorney Generals' Office, at 23 June 2008,
1,536 bodies of victims had been found and identified throughout
the country; 95 per cent of them were civilians.  So far, 172
remains have been positively identified and returned to the
families for burial.  Another 579 bodies are in the process of
being identified, and 34 are in the process of being handed over to
the families.  The Department of Antioquia has identified the
highest number of remains.

IOM's support for the travel and lodging of the families
participating in today's ceremony was funded by the United States
Agency for International Development (USAID) and is part of a
larger IOM programme, which also receives funding from the
governments of Canada, Holland, Spain and Sweden, aimed at
supporting the Government of Colombia's peace and reconciliation
efforts.

The IOM programme includes capacity building and technical
assistance to the Government of Colombia and to institutions
working on providing judicial recourse for victims and to those
working on policies instituted under the Justice and Peace Law.

IOM has assisted Colombia's High Commissioner for Reintegration
(ACR by its Spanish acronym) to draft and implement human
development projects for the demobilized populations, including
vocational training, income generating projects and employment
advice and assistance.

IOM's Tracking, Monitoring and Evaluation System (SAME by its
Spanish acronym) tracks information on the reintegration process of
each participant. Also with USAID funding, IOM supports the OAS'
peace monitoring mission in Colombia.

For more information, please contact:

Jorge Andrés Gallo

IOM Colombia

Tel: +571.594.6410 ext. 142

E-mail: "mailto:jgallo@iom.int">jgallo@iom.int