Colombian Army Bombs FARC Camp?
The commander of the Colombian Army's Second Brigade, Gen. Gabriel Diaz, announced on Apr. 19 that at least 100 rebels had been killed in a bombing raid by the Colombian Air Force on a camp of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) in Aracataca municipality, Magdalena department. Gen. Diaz said his forces bombed the camp before dawn on Apr. 16, while the rebels were allegedly carrying out nighttime combat training exercises. Diaz claimed rebels who survived the attack had returned to dress the bodies in civilian clothes to make it look as if the bombs had killed campesinos at the site. [Hoy (NY) 4/22/02 from AFP]
Farrallones de Cali region now a war zone
Troops from the Colombian Army's Third Brigade have turned the mountainous Farrallones de Cali region outside the city of Cali, capital of Valle del Cauca department, into a war zone as they search for a group of 12 departmental assembly deputies held by the FARC since Apr. 11 [see Update #637]. The area's 4,000 residents have been placed under tight restrictions: "no one can come up or down without authorization from the Third Brigade Command, explained a soldier guarding a nearby checkpoint.
Military has also blocked all food shipments
The military claims the measures are to protect residents while a stealth bomber and artilleried helicopters carry out continuous air raids in the zone. The military has also blocked all food from entering the area, forcing residents to barter food among themselves in order to survive. [El Pais (Cali) 4/16/02] The civilian population of the area put out a communique on Apr. 17 asking that the government allow public transport to resume, stop the bombing in the area of Pichinde, set up a humanitarian encampment in the community of Los Andes and take measures to prevent the forced displacement of local campesinos. [EP 4/18/02]
FARC: bombing puts kidnapped deputies' lives at risk
The FARC has warned that the indiscriminate bombing raids are putting the lives of the kidnapped assembly deputies at risk. [La Jornada 4/25/02 from DPA, AFP, Reuters]
Military restrictions exist despite Court ruling against National Security Law
The restrictions in the Farallones de Cali area were imposed despite a 7-2 ruling on Apr. 11 by Colombia's Constitutional Court that declared the "National Security Law" unconstitutional. The law, signed by President Andres Pastrana last Aug. 13, allowed the government to impose de facto martial law in combat areas [see Update #603]. [El Nuevo Herald 4/13/02 from AFP]
From the
Weekly News Update on the Americas (ISSN 1084-922X), published by the Nicaragua Solidarity Network of Greater New York, 339 Lafayette St., New York, NY 10012, 212-674-9499,
wnu@igc.org.
Rebels Kill Peace Activists
Defensoría del Pueblo
