Military confrontations resurface in Colombia, 7 soldiers killed

[TamilNet, Friday, 15 February 2013, 17:37 GMT]
The rebels of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) have killed seven soldiers in clashes with the Colombian military on Wednesday. The attacks are seen as the biggest offensive by the FARC since peace talks between the rebel group and the Colombian government began last year. However, other news sources also infer that the latest FARC offensives are targeted at bringing the Colombian government to a ceasefire. Bogota has been arguing for a long time that it would agree to a truce only after a peace agreement has been arrived at.

The recent fighting occurred in the southern Caqueta province of Colombia.

FARC’s strongholds are southern, south-western and eastern Colombia.

FARC, described as spearheading one of the longest running insurgencies in the world, is a Marxist-Leninist group that has its base among the poor peasantry of Colombia.

One of its immediate goals is to achieve proper land reforms in the country and this is a core issue in the peace talks with the Colombian government.

However, pro-FARC critics claim that Colombia has not been serious in providing a genuine promise for a proper dealing of the land question.