WEEKLY NEWS UPDATE ON THE AMERICAS
ISSUE #423, MARCH 8, 1998
NICARAGUA SOLIDARITY NETWORK OF GREATER NEW YORK
339 LAFAYETTE ST., NEW YORK, NY 10012 (212) 674-9499
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*1. COLOMBIA: REBEL OFFENSIVE, ARMY BOMBS CIVILIANS
At least 28 civilians were killed in a Colombian army bombing raid against
leftist guerrillas in the rural area of El Billar creek, in the southern
Colombian municipality of Cartagena del Chaira, local authorities reported
on Mar. 6. Other reports said that four civilians were killed and eight
wounded. The four confirmed victims were members of a campesino family
killed when an army bomb landed on their home some 30 km north of Billar.
Jesus Ramirez, government secretary of Cartagena del Chaira, told the
press that the number of civilian dead was reported by a special
commission sent by the mayor's office to the bombed area. Colombian Air
Force (FAC) Commander Gen. Fabio Zapata insisted that no civilians have
been affected by the army operations. [El Diario-La Prensa (NY) 3/7/98 from
EFE, AP; El Colombiano (Medellin) 3/6/98; Clarin (Buenos Aires) 3/7/98
from Reuter; Cable News Network en Espanol 3/7/98 from Reuter]
Some 400 rebels from the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia-
People's Army (FARC-EP) have been fighting army troops in the area of El
Billar creek since Mar. 2. In a Mar. 5 press release issued from the
"Mountains of Caqueta," the FARC-EP Southern Bloc Command explained that
since 4:30 pm on Mar. 2 its forces have been carrying out the military
operation "Opening Roads for the New Colombia" against 228 soldiers from
the 52nd Battalion of the Third Mobile Brigade of the counter-guerrilla
forces. According to the communique, 80 army soldiers have been killed,
more than 30 are wounded, 43 are captive and the remainder are fleeing the
area. The army admitted on Mar. 6 that the number of deaths could be more
than 100, but claimed that the losses were split evenly between army
soldiers and rebels. The army has refused to allow members of the
Colombian Red Cross and the International Committee of the Red Cross
(CICR) to carry out rescue and humanitarian support work in the area. In
press releases on Mar. 4 and 5, the FARC-EP's Southern Bloc Command
specifically requested the presence of the national and international Red
Cross to provide aid for army casualties.
On Mar. 3 a thousand military troops were dispatched from the Tres
Esquinas army base to support the Third Mobile Brigade, and the FAC
provided several AC-47 and OV-10 planes to bomb the area, along with a
group of MI-17 and Black Hawk helicopters to transport reinforcements to
the combat zone and pick up the dead and wounded. Army commander Gen.
Mario Hugo Galan went to the area to lead the operations. The combat zone
is extremely rainy and is located far from the military's logistical support
posts; the only way of reaching the zone is via the Caguan River, or by
having helicopters land on small plots of cleared land. [EC 3/5/98, 3/6/98;
FARC-EP Southern Bloc Command Press Release 3/4/98, 3/5/98, posted on
Internet by the FARC-EP International Commission; Clarin 3/4/98]
On Mar. 6 President Ernesto Samper Pizano visited the Tres Esquinas
military base to raise morale among the troops. "In wars, we win and we
lose," said Samper, speaking to a contingent of 150 troops about to take off
for the combat zone. "It's clear that we've received a hard blow." [El Nuevo
Herald (Miami) 3/7/98 from AP] Samper said that the reports of 28
civilians killed in army bombing raids were not confirmed, but he
apologized in advance if these reports were true. [Notimex 3/6/98]
On Mar. 6, as part of its offensive aimed at blocking the Mar. 8 legislative
elections, some 120 FARC members set up a roadblock 50 km from the
capital, Bogota. For five hours the rebels held captive 500 vehicles,
"inviting" the drivers and passengers not to vote. One police agent was
killed. [Clarin 3/7/98 from Reuter; ED-LP 3/7/98 from AP]
After facing its worst military defeat in decades, the Colombian
government is consulting the Constitutional Court about the possibility of
declaring a state of siege to reestablish order in the country, according to
Reuter. [El Universal (Caracas, Venezuela) 3/6/98]
Despite the military offensive, the government insisted that legislative
elections will take place throughout Colombia as scheduled on Mar. 8.
Colombia's 20.7 million eligible voters must choose from among 6,512
candidates representing 64 different political organizations to elect 102
senators and 161 members of the House of Representatives for four year
terms. Analysts predict a high rate of abstention. Voting is not obligatory in
Colombia, but the government gives benefits to voters such as a half day off
work with pay; preference for acceptance into university and for
government jobs; reduction in the required time for military service; and
access to a government housing program. [CNN en Espanol 3/7/98 from
Reuter]
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