DRUGS-COLOMBIA: Tension Mounts as Farmers Protest, Rebels Attack
BOGOTA, Dic 13 (IPS) - A farmers' protest against fumigation of drug-related crops and an attack on an anti-drug squad have elevated tension in the Guaviare department in eastern Colombia, reviving the issue of presumed guerrilla-drug links.
Nearly 30,000 farmers from throughout the department have converged on the capital of San Jose del Guaviare to demand an end to herbicide spraying of coca, poppy and marijuana crops.
On Monday night, guerrillas presumed to be from the Armed Revolutionary Forces of Colombia (FARC) shot at an anti-drug helicopter, killing police officer Diego Gonzalez, 25, and wounding three others.
The situation further deteriorated when six of the soldiers protecting police anti-drug chief Colonel Leonardo Gallego were wounded in an attack on an army patrol Tuesday.
The attacks were condemned by Interior Minister Horacio Serpa and military sources, who linked the presumed presence of "drug guerrillas" to the farmers' protest.
Serpa said the government knew of "illegal interference" seeking to influence the protest.
Due to the seriousness of the incidents, the government has suspended a visit by a commission that was to call on the farmers to explain the reasons for their protest, which has paralysed the San Jose del Guaviare landing strip.
However, as a first step toward a solution, the government offered to bring a group of farmers to the capital for dialogue.
Meanwhile, military sources claim that threats from FRAC rebels have forced the farmers to maintain their protest and prevented them from returning to their homes.
According to military leader General Harold Bedoya, officials discovered a rebel plan to carry out attacks on several local public figures in order to cause further instability.
He added that this and other recent protests were promoted by "international mafias" and supported by the guerrillas.
Guerrilla-drug links were also suspected in a September attack on a helicopter trasporting the Colombian Defence Minister and U.S. ambassador Myles Frecchete to an anti-drug operation.
However, San Jose del Guaviare Bishop Belarmino Correa said "the government itself" permits coca cultivation in Guvaviare.
He added that the farmers' "clear and definitive protest" claims that fumigation is damaging not only coca, but also other basic crops destined for human consumption.
© Inter Press Service (2014) — All Rights Reserved. Original source: Inter Press Service