It is with great sadness that we bid farewell to Carmen Cobo, Mother and Grandmother of Plaza de Mayo, who died yesterday at the age of 96. Her daughter Inés was abducted by the military regime on September 1, 1976 and remains missing. Thanks to the testimony of survivors, Carmen learned several years later that Inés had arrived at the ESMA clandestine detention and torture center two or three months pregnant. From that moment on, Carmen not only sought to discover what happened to her daughter, but also dedicated her life to finding her grandchild.
Carmen was one of the Mothers to whom CELS offered affection and support through its Accompaniment Network, a group of volunteers who provide company and support to mothers with a walk, a visit, a talk. Most of the Mothers are over 80 years old, have reduced mobility and spend a lot of time alone. That is why the Network seeks to be there for them, as a retribution for their fight for a fairer society.
“Carmen’s smile did not fade. It was her way of looking at the world. Mind you that she had reasons to be sad, angry, to hate. But no: Carmen, who left yesterday on April 2 at the age of 96, left a trail of love and sweetness. We are going to miss her like every Mother who leaves us. We are going to miss that frank smile, those loving hands and those happy eyes full of freshness with which she looked at us. We are going to miss the affection which she gave us every March 24 because she thanked us – yes, us – for accompanying her, for resisting against oblivion. She could not know what happened to her daughter Inés. She died without knowing. Instead, she had the love of Noemí and her granddaughters who adored her until that last farewell, which is a “chau” for them and for everyone who loved her. It is a “chau” full of memory, truth and justice. And of an infinite love ”. So she was sent off by those who accompanied Carmen from the Accompaniment Network..
We send our love to her entire family and we will follow her on the path of tireless struggle for memory, truth and justice.