DATE=3/28/2000
TYPE=NEWSFEATURE
TITLE=COLOMBIA-REBEL ZONE
NUMBER=5-46031
BYLINE=BILL RODGERS
DATELINE=SAN VICENTE DEL CAGUAN, COLOMBIA
CONTENT=
INTERNET=YES
///EDS: SPANISH ACT IN BUBBLE///
INTRO: Guerrillas of the leftist Revolutionary Armed
Forces of Colombia, FARC, are working to win the hearts
and minds of people living in a large demilitarized
zone in southern Colombia. V-O-A's Bill Rodgers
reports from San Vicente del Caguan - the largest town
in the guerrilla-run zone - on how the process is
going.
TEXT: ///AMBIENT SOUND OF MUSIC///
Music blares from corner cantinas at all hours of the
day and into the night in this farming town some 350
kilometers south of Bogota. In the central plaza,
banners with revolutionary slogans hang from trees and
posts, while FARC guerrillas - dressed in green
camouflage uniforms and carrying automatic weapons -
walk the streets in twos and threes. Residents give
them little more than a casual glance, so familiar has
the sight become.
San Vicente del Caguan - with some 14-thousand people -
has been under FARC control since late 1998, when
government troops withdrew from the area as part of an
agreement creating a huge demilitarized zone in
southern Colombia. Removing troops from this zone -
which is about the size of Switzerland - was a FARC
precondition for opening peace talks with the
government of President Andres Pastrana. Those talks
formally got underway in January after months of
discussions to set an agenda for negotiating an end to
the decades-long conflict.
In the meantime, FARC guerrillas have solidifed their
control over the demilitarized area, and especially in
San Vicente - the largest town in the zone. While
local civilian authorities still govern the town, the
rebels clearly wield the power and are directly
involved in the town's affairs. It is a unique
experience for the guerrilla movement, which until now
has never held a major urban area long enough to exert
its authority on a sustained basis.
San Vicente mayor Omar Garcia, who was elected to
office before the demilitarized zone was created, says
there are both positive and negative aspects to the
situation.
/// GARCIA SPANISH ACT ///
On the negative side, he says, the FARC have taken over
the administration of justice. For good or bad, he
says, what we had was the justice system of Colombia
and while it may have needed reforms, it should not
have been done away with altogether.
On the positive side, the mayor went on to say, the
rebels are no longer isolated from the townspeople. He
said the guerrillas have had a chance to resolve
community problems, and to hear complaints over such
guerrilla practices as forced recruitment of young
people. On balance, Mayor Garcia said the positive
aspects outweigh the negative because San Vicente has
become an experiment in the peace process.
Many residents agree. Shopkeeper Juan Pinedo is
pleased with the guerrilla presence because crime has
gone down sharply.
/// FIRST PINEDO SPANISH ACT ///
He says: there were a lot of robberies before and it
was dangerous to travel from nearby Florencia to San
Vicente. But now it's safe. //OPT// He added people are
no longer scared to go out at night - before everyone
was at home by six or seven o'clock at night because of
the tensions caused by the war. //END OPT//
For their part, the guerrillas have embarked on
projects to win the support of San Vicente's residents.
///AMBIENT SOUND OF DIGGING///
On the edge of town, a team of rebels digs a trench to
lay down water pipes for a neighborhood without running
water. The guerrillas - who have taken off their green
uniform shirts to work under the hot, blazing sun - are
joined by some of the people who live in the
surrounding wooden shanties. Wielding a pick with the
others is a guerrilla leader called "Comandante
Mauricio" - who is in charge of infrastructure projects
in San Vicente. He tells V-O-A the rebels have paved
roads, built bridges, and brought electricity to
neighborhoods without light.
/// MAURICIO SPANISH ACT ///
This is our duty, he says, to make sure the people can
surmount their problems. After all, he says, our
reason for being is to help the people so we're doing
all we can to resolve their problems.
///OPT///
Top FARC commanders openly acknowledge they are trying
to win the hearts and minds of the people in the
demilitarized zone. Simon Trinidad, who is in charge of
economic affairs for the FARC at the negotiating table,
says running the town of San Vicente is a unique
opportunity.
/// TRINIDAD SPANISH ACT ///
He says: it is a new experience because before we would
come into a town and talk with the people, but it was
only for a short time - perhaps a day or two and then
we had to leave. Now, he says, we've had to do this on
a daily, almost permanent basis. So in this sense, he
says, it's a new experience for us.
///END OPT///
Yet the future remains uncertain because it depends on
the success of the peace talks. Shopkeeper Juan Pinedo
says if the peace process breaks down, many town
residents will have to leave because of fears of
reprisals.
///SECOND PINEDO SPANISH ACT///
We're in the middle here, he says, no one consulted us
when this zone was created. So people are afraid of
what might happen if the army returns, he says.
There's a lot of doubt.
Mayor Garcia expresses a similar concern, noting that
the people of San Vicente are now viewed as guerrilla
sympathizers - especially by rightwing paramilitary
groups which have been responsible for massacring
civilians suspected of aiding the leftist rebels.
For now, the peace talks are proceeding but the two
sides are still far from reaching agreement on the 12-
point agenda. Meantime, outside the demilitarized
zone, the war goes on and casualties continue to mount.
///SNEAK AMBIENT SOUND OF CHURCH SINGING///
For most San Vicente residents, there is a kind of
peace and a life that is more normal than in other
parts of violence-torn Colombia. But on Sundays, many
come to the small church at the corner of the central
plaza to pray that the peace will become permanent so
that there can be better times ahead for themselves and
the rest of the country. (Signed)
///CHURCH SINGING UP AND OUT///
NEB/wfr/gm/PT
28-Mar-2000 21:35 PM EDT (29-Mar-2000 0235 UTC)
NNNN
Source: Voice of America
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