COLOMBIA: EL CALVARIO HOME TO THE FARC REBELS

(3 Apr 1998) Spanish/Nat

The rugged jungle of Colombia conceals one of the most active and violent guerrilla movements of the southern hemisphere.

El Calvario, in Meta province, 75 kilometres south-east of Bogota, is home to one of the fronts of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC).

Their struggle and the ensuing conflict has cost thousands of lives in recent years, despite sporadic attempts at peace.

Dawn breaks over a FARC rebel camp on the outskirts of El Calvario, a mountain village 75 kilometres outside the capital Bogota.

The men and women here are part of a rebel organisation that has engaged in 30-years of battle with Colombia's government.

Camps such as these are run according to strict military discipline and the results show.

FARC remains the most powerful rebel group in the country and has shown ruthless efficiency in the battlefield.

Its southern block is made up of eleven fronts, stationed across the departments of Caqueta, Guaviare, Putumayo, Huila and Narino.

Its infrastructure consists mainly of small groups, and mostly of young rural labourers in their twenties, fighting for what they believe is equality and democracy.

SOUNDBITE: (Spanish)
"Since I was a child I wanted to fight as part of a guerrilla group because of the political, economical and social crisis that existed in the country."
SUPER CAPTION: Eduardo Guerrero, FARC rebel

President Ernesto Samper's government says these rebels are criminals, motivated by profits from kidnapping, narco-trafficking and extortion rather than political ideas.

The rebels, in return, do not acknowledge a government plagued by corruption.

In addition, rural poverty provides a fertile ground for new rebel recruits.

SOUNDBITE: (Spanish)
Q: " Why did you get involved in guerrilla action?"
A: "Because I liked it. When I got in I wasn't conscious of the struggle, but when you are here you realize the struggle."
SUPER CAPTION: Elizabeth, FARC rebel

The guerrillas exert control over vast areas of rural Colombia and frequently enlist youngsters desperate for a better life.

Men are not the only ones to enroll.

Some women, too, consider it an honour to be part of the rebel movement.

SOUNDBITE:(Spanish)
Q: "How old are you?"
A: "I am nineteen years old."
Q: "Since when have you been fighting with the FARC?"
A: "I've been here six years." (Cut away to rifle and knife)
Q: "How do you feel, being a woman guerrilla?"
A: "I feel good."
Q: "Why?"
A: "It feels an honour, because there are few girls here. This is a hard life."
Q: "Why did you decide to be a guerrilla?"
A: "First of all I liked it, and the other thing is that sometimes you suffer at home, then you have to choose this life, which is very good."
SUPER CAPTION: Maribel, FARC rebel

There is no accurate figure on the numbers active in the FARC.

Funding is attributed to the FARC's links with narco-trafficking.

This cash has helped the FARC develop into an effective fighting force and a match for rural government military outposts.

Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork
Twitter:   / ap_archive  
Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​
Instagram:   / apnews  


You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...