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"The war is useless", say former guerillas in Colombia
Demoralization among terror groups of both right and pseduo-left appears to be spreading in Colombia, as scores of combatants turn in their guns in a bid to rejoin civil society. It is now up to the Colombian state to ensure that such people are reintegrated and can pursue a normal life. From AP:
Colombia -- On the day they deserted their rebel unit last month, Alejandro and his girlfriend Lina rose before dawn, grabbed their guns and quietly slipped into the rugged mountain forest of northwestern Colombia.
"We were suffering," said 18-year-old Alejandro, who had endured a poor diet, frequent combat and grueling marches since joining the National Liberation Army (ELN) at age 13.
Alejandro and Lina, 19, joined a growing wave of leftist rebels braving fellow guerrillas' threats of an automatic death sentence for deserters who drop out of Colombia's 39-year civil war.
The wave of desertions is partly the result of intensive military operations by the armed forces and an aggressive campaign that promises a new life for insurgents willing to lay down their arms.
The deserters include 943 members of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), the country's largest rebel group, 282 from the ELN, 139 from the right-wing paramilitary United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia (AUC), and 83 from smaller insurgent groups, according to the defense ministry. By the time Uribe leaves office in 2006, government officials expect nearly a quarter of the country's roughly 30,000 combatants to desert.
Even though increased desertions are unlikely to force the guerrillas to give up the fight anytime soon, some analysts believe that a thinning of rebel ranks could force them back to peace talks that stalled last year.
"If commanders can't hold onto their fighters and can't take the initiativethey are going to come to the conclusion that the war is useless," said Sen. Antonio Navarro Wolff, a former guerrilla. "And if they believe the war is useless, they are going to negotiate."
Former fighters interviewed on condition that their last names not be used agreed that the radio campaign, poor living conditions and intensified combat convinced them to desert.
Gustavo, a 32-year-old ELN veteran who commanded the same unit that included Alejandro and Lina, said in an interview in a Bogota park that he had contemplated deserting for a year prior to listening to several radio spots by repentant rebels with such messages as, "The conflict is sterile. Don't think twice -- turn yourself in" and, "I was treated with respect after turning myself in to the armed forces."
Despite the program's apparent success, some critics have questioned the government's capacity to protect deserters after a former FARC member was assassinated early this month. Jenny Rocio, who left the FARC some eight months ago, was shot dead while sitting in a Bogota coffee shop. Authorities believe the FARC dispatched a hit team to murder Rocio and discourage further desertions.
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international |
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Sunday June 29, 2003 20:00
by joe ranii
joeranii at yahoo dot com
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Comments (5 of 5)
Jump To Comment: 1 2 3 4 5Scores of Colombian junta militia are turning their guns on their officers, and joining FARC guerilla forces. Many have not the stomach for the brutality, sadism and torture, ordered by their officers. One junta deserter said 'I was physically sick watching and having to participate in the limitless brutality, sadism and torture we were ordered to commit'. 'After razing whole villages to the ground, and executing troublemaking priests and community workers, there comes a time when we have to say enough is enough'. The ex-junta militia men said 'We were ordered to shoot peasant children in the head, to strike fear and terror into the heart of peasant communities who support FARC, as warning and example to them not to do so'.'At one point we were given acid to pour on the heads of peasant women villagers, as a punishment and deterrent to disuade villagers from supporting FARC'. 'It was truly shocking to realise the depths of depravity our officers expected us to stoop to, to disuade peasant villagers from supporting FARC'.
Looks like el amigo Angelo may have been smoking one of Colombia's exports. Otherwise there is no way to explain his extraordinary nightmare about Colombia.
Anyway, let me correct him on one thing. There is no "Colombian junta", there is an elected Colombian government. In fact Colombia stands apart from many Latin American countries in that it has no tradition of military coups.
As to the rest of his grotesque fantasy, if Angelito would care to identify his sources I might consider it worth the trouble to respond. Unlikely, since in fact his posting is a mere product of his own fevered imagination, from the safety of 8000 kilometres from the killing fields.
As Joe Ranii well knows if any genuine socialist were to stand for election, then their life would be at risk. A previous left wing presidential candidate was assassinated aboard a plane while he was surrounded by 17 bodyguards!
When one of the guerilla groups formed a political party and engaged in politics, 3,000 of their members were murdered by Sytate and Para-Military death squads.
To be a trade union activist, a community worker, a journalist who asks questions, thats enough to get you killed by the Colombian state forces or their right wing auxillaries.
Finally, it is childish in the extreme to suggest that people are disqualified from commenting on Colombia because they dont live there or have not visited it. Using that 'logic' then no one could comment on Iraq, Iran, Central Africa, Afghanistan unless they had ben there themse;ves.
Pat:
I made the remark about people not posting who have not been to Colombia out of frustration and despair. In normal circumstances I would not have mentioned it, indeed I myself have opinions about dozens of world situations, Palestine, Chechnya etc., despite never having been in those places. But in the COlombian case I am truly astonished that some people in Ireland can cheer on necklace-bombing, no-warning bombs, mass abductions, murder, extortion and kidnapping. I am sorry, but if someone from the safety of Ireland thinks it's a ggod idea to kidnap an old lady and march through the jungle until she stops from exhaustion, and then put a bullet in her head, then I think those people are either mad or bad. (Case of Consuelo Araujo, 18 months ago--kidnapped and murdered by FARC). My only thought is that if these posters knew something about Colombia they could not smugly justify such atrocities.
Pat you are also incorrect that no left wing candidate can stand for election without being killed. In last year's election there was a left-wing candidate, Garzon (very anti-FARC incidentally) and he performed creditably, recieving as far as I can remember at least 15% of the poll. That is a very good base, which could easily be doubled if there were peace and the left were not--however unfairly-- associated in the public mind with atrocity and cruelty.
You are correct that the political party started by the M-19s was the victim of a murder campaign.
A similar thing hapened in the North of Ireland, when a number of SInn Fein members were murdered by Loyalists. But would that justify starting a campaign of necklace-bombing, mass murder, kidnapping etc in the North?
As I have posted here a dozen times, Colombia is a very flawed democracy. But the murder gangs of right and pseudo-left have nothing to offer that is better.
springs to mind in the case of Joe Rantting who is 8000 km away from Colombia. As I say Mr Rantting you're not qualified to comment on Colombia. You seem to be backtracking alot to appear impartial, but we have been watching you, very closely. Whatever way you twist and slime about you can't disguise your allegiance or your true colours.