Drug War

The Andean Strategy to combat cocaine trafficking, approved by President Bush in 1989, increased military, law enforcement, and economic aid to Bolivia, Columbia, and Peru. These reports, which focus on counternarcotics programs in Columbia and Peru, conclude that the United States is further along in implementing the Andean Strategy in Columbia than in Peru because of the Columbian government's commitment to combat drug trafficking. Peru must overcome serious problems in fighting the drug war before the strategy can be effective. In addition, the United States needs to strengthen its oversight in both countries to ensure that military aid is used efficiently, effectively, and as intended. Finally, human rights abuses remain a major concern in Columbia and Peru. GAO summarized these reports in testimony before Congress; see: The Drug War: Observations on Counternarcotics Programs in Columbia and Peru, by Frank C. Conahan, Assistant Comptroller General for National Security and International Affairs Programs, before the Subcommittee on Legislation and National Security, House Committee on Government Operations. GAO/T-NSIAD-92-2, Oct. 23 (14 pages).

GAO found that: (1) between August 1989 and September 1990, the United States provided $65 million in emergency assistance for Colombia's military and police and programmed an additional $87 million in grant aid; (2) the Andean Drug Strategy permits Columbia to use U.S. aid against both drug traffickers and insurgents involved in the drug trade; (3) U.S. officials believe that a flexible policy is needed to allow aid to be used against insurgent groups when their activities either impede effective government action to combat narcotics trafficking or are clearly intertwined with those of the narcotics traffickers; (4) U.S. officials have not finalized plans for designating how the aid should be used by military units, monitoring how the military aid is used, and evaluating the effectiveness of the aid in achieving counternarcotics objectives; (5) the lack of management oversight hinders assurances that the aid is being used effectively and as intended; (6) adequate criteria do not exist to evaluate the effectiveness of U.S. assistance; and (7) although Colombia has a democratically elected government, it has experienced increased violence because of the drug traffickers and insurgents, which has led to numerous reports of human rights abuses of innocent civilians.