Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
02BOGOTA3159
2002-04-08 23:35:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Bogota
Cable title:  

FARC RESUMES ATTACKS AGAINST CIVILIAN POPULATION

Tags:  PTER PHUM PINR SOCI CO 
pdf how-to read a cable
P 082335Z APR 02
FM AMEMBASSY BOGOTA
TO SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 7965
INFO AMEMBASSY CARACAS 
AMEMBASSY QUITO 
AMEMBASSY LIMA 
AMEMBASSY LA PAZ 
AMEMBASSY BRASILIA 
AMEMBASSY PANAMA 
USCINCSO MIAMI FL
NSC WASHDC
JOINT STAFF WASHDC
SECDEF WASHDC
DIRONDCP WASHDC
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BOGOTA 003159 

E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/08/2012
TAGS: PTER PHUM PINR SOCI CO
SUBJECT: FARC RESUMES ATTACKS AGAINST CIVILIAN POPULATION

CLASSIFIED BY AMBASSADOR ANNE W. PATTERSON, REASONS:
1.5 (B) AND (D).

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BOGOTA 003159

E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/08/2012
TAGS: PTER PHUM PINR SOCI CO
SUBJECT: FARC RESUMES ATTACKS AGAINST CIVILIAN POPULATION

CLASSIFIED BY AMBASSADOR ANNE W. PATTERSON, REASONS:
1.5 (B) AND (D).


1. (U) SUMMARY: FARC ACTIONS AGAINST THE MILITARY, THE
CIVILIAN POPULATION, AND COLOMBIA'S INFRASTRUCTURE FLARED
DURING A THREE-WEEK PERIOD FOLLOWING THE END OF THE
DESPEJE. SINCE THEN, FARC ACTIVITY AGAINST THE
POPULATION HAD BEEN MINIMAL, UNTIL THIS PAST WEEK: FROM
MARCH 24 TO 27, FARC REBELS ATTACKED THE TOWN OF SARAVENA
(ARAUCA DEPARTMENT) TWICE, DESTROYING SEVERAL GOC
OFFICES. ON APRIL 5, INTERNATIONAL RED CROSS MEMBERS
RECOVERED THE BODIES OF TWO POLICEMEN MURDERED BY THE
FARC. ONE WAS THE FATHER OF ANDRES FELIPE PEREZ, THE 13-
YEAR OLD CANCER PATIENT WHO DIED LAST DECEMBER, AFTER
REPEATED PLEAS TO THE FARC TO RELEASE HIS FATHER. ON
APRIL 6, FARC OPERATIVES EXPLODED TWO BOMBS IN A POPULAR
NIGHT SPOT IN VILLAVICENCIO, KILLING 12 AND INJURING 100
OTHERS. EMBASSY CONTACTS ALSO REPORTED TWO BOMB
EXPLOSIONS IN BOGOTA OVER THE WEEKEND, THE FIRST NEAR
BOGOTA'S HEAVILY-USED TRANSMILENIO PUBLIC TRANSIT SYSTEM,
AND THE SECOND AGAINST AN AUTO-REPAIR SHOP USED BY HIGH-
LEVEL POLICE OFFICERS. END SUMMARY.


2. (U) ON MARCH 24, AN EXPLOSION IN SARAVENA (ARAUCA
DEPARTMENT) CAUSED HEAVY DAMAGE TO THE OFFICES OF THE
ATTORNEY GENERAL AND THE PROSECUTOR GENERAL. ALTHOUGH NO
ONE WAS INJURED, NEARLY A BLOCK OF COMMERCIAL BUILDINGS
IN DOWNTOWN SARAVENA WAS LEFT IN RUINS. LOCAL
AUTHORITIES CONFIRMED THAT THE EXPLOSIVE DEVICE WAS
PLANTED BY FARC REBELS. LESS THAN 48 HOURS LATER, ON
MARCH 27, ANOTHER DEVICE WENT OFF, DESTROYING THE MAYOR'S
OFFICE AND THE LOCAL POLICE STATION. TWO PEOPLE WERE
INJURED IN THIS SECOND ATTACK. COLOMBIAN ARMY BOMB
SQUADS WERE ABLE TO DEFUSE TWO MORE BOMBS THAT SET TO
EXPLODE IN THE DOWNTOWN AREA.


3. (U) MEANWHILE, IN ANOTHER SAD CHAPTER TO THE SAGA OF
ANDRES FELIPE PEREZ, ON APRIL 5, THE INTERNATIONAL RED
CROSS RECOVERED THE BODIES OF TWO POLICE OFFICERS, BOTH
MURDERED BY THE FARC. ONE OF THE BODIES WAS THAT OF
CORPORAL JOSE NORBERTO PEREZ, KIDNAPPED BY THE FARC 27
MONTHS AGO, FROM RISARALDA DEPARTMENT. PEREZ WAS THE
FATHER OF ANDRES FELIPE, A 13-YEAR-OLD BOY WHO DIED OF
CANCER LAST DECEMBER, AFTER HAVING PLEADED WITH THE FARC
TO RELEASE HIS FATHER SO THAT THE FAMILY COULD BE
REUNITED BEFORE THE BOY'S DEATH. THE FARC REFUSED TO

RELEASE PEREZ, CAUSING NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL
OUTRAGE. THE SECOND BODY WAS IDENTIFIED AS POLICEMAN
VICTOR MANUEL RUEDA, KIDNAPPED BY THE FARC FROM ANTIOQUIA
DEPARTMENT IN AUGUST 1999. IN A STATEMENT TO THE PRESS,
THE VICTIMS' FAMILIES SAID THAT THE TWO MEN HAD BEEN
BROUGHT FROM THE JUNGLES OF SOUTHERN COLOMBIA TO
ANTIOQUIA, WHERE THEY WERE SHOT IN THE BACK WHILE
ATTEMPTING TO ESCAPE.


4. (U) ON APRIL 7, 12 PEOPLE, INCLUDING SIX MINORS, WERE
KILLED AND AS MANY AS 100 OTHERS INJURED BY A FARC
"BOOBY-TRAP" BOMB DETONATED IN VILLAVICENCIO (META
DEPARTMENT),SOME 50 MILES FROM BOGOTA. THE TWO-STAGE
ATTACK TOOK PLACE IN THE "ZONA ROSA" DISTRICT OF THE
CITY, KNOWN FOR ITS POPULAR BARS AND NIGHTCLUBS. AT
APPROXIMATELY 1:00 A.M., A 20-KILOGRAM DEVICE EXPLODED,
SHAKING THE NEIGHBORHOOD BUT CAUSING LITTLE INJURY OR
DAMAGE. MANY IN THE AREA CAME OUTSIDE TO SEE WHAT HAD
HAPPENED. ABOUT TEN MINUTES LATER, AFTER A CROWD HAD
FORMED, AND AFTER THE ARRIVAL OF THE AUTHORITIES, FARC
TERRORISTS DETONATED A SECOND DEVICE -- A CAR BOMB LOADED
WITH 100 KILOGRAMS OF HIGH-POWER EXPLOSIVE. IN ADDITION
TO THE DEATHS AND INJURIES, THE BLAST DESTROYED 15
VEHICLES, 30 HOUSES, AND THE HEADQUARTERS OF THE "SUPER
RADIO" BROADCASTING COMPANY. PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE
ALVARO URIBE VELEZ HAS CLAIMED THAT "SUPER RADIO" WAS THE
TARGET OF THE ATTACK, FOR HAVING IGNORED FARC DEMANDS TO
STOP BROADCASTING HIS CAMPAIGN ANNOUNCEMENTS. PRESIDENT
PASTRANA CONDEMNED THE ATTACKS, SAYING THAT THERE WAS NO
DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE TERRORIST BOMBINGS IN ISRAEL AND
THOSE THAT TAKE PLACE IN COLOMBIA. PASTRANA REITERATED
HIS REQUEST TO THE WORLD COMMUNITY TO HELP COLOMBIA
COMBAT THE TERRORISTS.


5. (U) THE APRIL 7 CAR-BOMB IN VILLAVICENCIO WAS THE
SECOND BOMBING INCIDENT IN THE DEPARTMENT IN TWO DAYS.
ON APRIL 5, FARC GUERRILLAS DETONATED A BOMB ALONG THE
VILLAVICENCIO-BOGOTA HIGHWAY, HALTING TRAFFIC FOR TEN
HOURS. THE SAME DAY, FARC FORCES DETONATED A CAR BOMB IN
THE COMMERCIAL DISTRICT OF THE SMALL TOWN OF FUENTE DE
ORO, DAMAGING FOUR HOMES AND SEVERAL SMALL BUSINESSES.
POLICE PREVENTED A LARGER TRAGEDY BY ORDERING THE
EVACUATION OF PEOPLE LIVING IN THE AREA, AFTER DETECTING
A SECOND CAR HEAVILY LOADED WITH EXPLOSIVES.


6. (U) THE FARC MAY ALSO BE INVOLVED IN THE RECENT MURDER
OF A PRIEST IN NEIVA (HUILA DEPARTMENT). ON APRIL 7, TWO
GUNMEN ENTERED A CHURCH IN NEIVA, AND SHOT AND KILLED
PRIEST JUAN RAMON NUNEZ, WHILE HE WAS CONDUCTING MASS.
NUNEZ DIED AT A LOCAL HOSPITAL. PRESS REPORTS SPECULATED
THAT HE MIGHT HAVE BEEN TARGETED BECAUSE OF HIS PUBLIC
DEMAND FOR THE FARC TO RELEASE A LOCAL KIDNAP VICTIM.
ONE PARISHIONER WAS ALSO WOUNDED IN THE ATTACK. NUNEZ'S
MURDER BRINGS TO 40 THE NUMBER OF PRIESTS MURDERED BY THE
FARC AND ELN IN THE PAST TEN YEARS.


7. (U) EMBASSY ATF REPORTED TWO BOMB EXPLOSIONS IN
DOWNTOWN BOGOTA ON APRIL 6. AT 8:20 P.M., A GRENADE
EXPLODED AT A STATION OF BOGOTA'S POPULAR TRANSMILENIO
PUBLIC TRANSIT SYSTEM. THE STATION AND THREE BUSES WERE
DAMAGED. DIJIN (JUDICIAL AND INVESTIGATIVE POLICE
DIRECTORATE) CONTACTS ADVISED THAT ALTHOUGH THE ATTACKER
HAS NOT BEEN IDENTIFIED, FARC OPERATIVES ARE SUSPECTED,
BASED ON AN ATTACK ON THE SAME STATION BY FARC FORCES
ROUGHLY SIX WEEKS AGO. THE SECOND BLAST TOOK PLACE AT
AROUND 8:30 P.M., AT AN AUTO-REPAIR SHOP USED BY THE
COLOMBIAN NATIONAL POLICE. DIJIN SOURCES REPORTED THAT
THE BOMB MAY HAVE BEEN PLACED BY FARC AGENTS, WHO HAD
REPORTEDLY BEEN EXTORTING THE SHOP OWNER.


8. (C) COMMENT: IT IS UNCLEAR WHETHER THE CAR BOMBING IN
VILLAVICENCIO REPRESENTS THE BEGINNING OF THE FARC'S
ANTICIPATED ACTIONS IN ADVANCE OF THE MAY 26 PRESIDENTIAL
ELECTION. DURING THE PAST SIX WEEKS, THE COLMIL HAS
MAINTAINED FAIRLY AGGRESSIVE OPERATIONS AGAINST FARC
UNITS THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY. ALSO, THE AIR FORCE
CARRIED OUT PREEMPTIVE STRIKES AGAINST FARC MOBILE
COLUMNS, WHICH PROBABLY HAS COMPLICATED GUERRILLA EFFORTS
TO LAUNCH THEIR CAMPAIGN. AT THE SAME TIME, SENIOR
COLMIL OFFICERS HAVE ACKNOWLEDGED THAT THEY ARE
INCREASINGLY HARD PRESSED TO COVER KEY INFRASTRUCTURE
TARGETS WHILE CONTINUING TO MAINTAIN OFFENSIVE OPERATIONS
AGAINST THE GUERRILLAS. WITH THE ELECTIONS ON THE
HORIZON, THE COLMIL WILL LIKELY BEGIN TO FOCUS THEIR
EFFORTS ON A STRATEGY TO PROTECT POLLING PLACES AND
VOTERS, A TASK THAT THEY FULFILLED WITH REMARKABLE
SUCCESS FOR THE MARCH 10 CONGRESSIONAL ELECTIONS. DAO
CONTACTS HAVE ADVISED THAT POLLING SECURITY EFFORTS WILL
NOT DETRACT FROM "OPERATION TANATOS," THE COLMIL'S
ONGOING EFFORT TO RE-ESTABLISH GOVERNMENT CONTROL IN 19
DIFFERENT DEPARTMENTS.

PATTERSON


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