COLOMBIA: TOLIMA: VILLAGES ATTACKED BY LEFT WING REBELS скачать в хорошем качестве

COLOMBIA: TOLIMA: VILLAGES ATTACKED BY LEFT WING REBELS

(15 Nov 1998) Spanish/Nat Hundreds of civilians have fled their villages in Tolima, south of Bogota, after their houses were burnt down by left-wing rebels. Some 700 men, women and children have escaped from the continuing conflict between the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), the paramilitaries and the army in the area. The fighting, triggered off by the surge of paramilitary groups in an area traditionally controlled by the FARC guerrillas, has been going on for two weeks. Morales is one of the municipalities in Colombia's southern Tolima department laid waste by left-wing guerrillas from the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia - known as the FARC. For two weeks now, rebels have been attacking villages in the region. Houses have been burnt down as a punishment for what the rebels see as collaboration between the villagers and paramilitary groups which have recently appeared in the area. The Colombian army has arrived in the municipalities only to find empty, burnt houses as villagers flee the fighting. SOUNDBITE: (Spanish) "Troops are operating to gain control of the area south of Tolima and to bring tranquillity to people here in south of Tolima and we will continue operating here because that's our task. We've done it for 14 days and will continue to do so until we reach the positions where the five FARC groups are." SUPER CAPTION: Jorge Ardila, Colombian army colonel But for many the arrival of government troops is too little, too late. This is only one group of displaced people who have gathered in El Placer camp. Most have lost their houses and possessions, and some their entire family. SOUNDBITE (Spanish) "They killed my brother and burnt my grandfather and many more of my relatives, my cousins... they've killed most of them and they've burnt down all the houses Q: Who killed them? A: The guerrillas. They surrounded this region from all sides. SUPER CAPTION: Flor Esperanza, relative of killed people Others don't even know who killed their relatives. They claim that paramilitaries concealed themselves among the population when attacked by the guerrillas and many civilians were killed in cross fire. SOUNDBITE: (Spanish) "I don't know (who killed him), because he was going somewhere and they came up and killed him. I didn't see anybody. He was killed and when I realised something has happened, he was dead." SUPER CAPTION: Fanny Garzon, mother of victim The International Red Cross in cooperation with the Colombian Red Cross is trying to help refugees that have been gathering for the last two weeks. Seven-hundred people are thought to be seeking refuge. But numbers are swelling and resources are scarce. SOUNDBITE (Spanish) "We're providing them with as many mattresses, sheets, blankets and food as we can, but there are now three places where these displaced people have arrived, here in El Placer, Puerto Saldana and Rio Blanco." SUPER CAPTION: Michelle Poretti, International Red Cross delegate And as the fighting continues, some 30 to 35 families arrive daily to these improvised camps. In some municipalities the army is fighting FARC. In others, it is the guerrillas against the paramilitaries. Regardless, most of the victims are civilians caught in the middle of the warring factions. There are no official casualty figures for casualties - authorities are waiting for a ceasefire before entering the area to count the dead and help the wounded. 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...