Colombia: FARC Lobbies the U.S. Congress

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March 2, 2007: Having lost so much popular support in Colombia, FARC is trying to win a victory in the United States. With Democrats back in control of Congress, FARC now has a chance to seek cuts in military aid to the Colombian government. FARC lobbyists stress right-wing atrocities, civilian casualties and the futility of trying to stop the drug trade, to leftist American legislators. This often works to get cuts made to anti-drug and anti-FARC operations in Colombia. If FARC can get these cuts, the government offensive against FARC will be weakened, giving FARC more time to come up with a plan to revive itself.

March 1, 2007: Three hundred kilometers south of the capital, a FARC bomb attempted to kill an anti-FARC mayor. Eight people were wounded. FARC is using threats and violence to try and remove anti-FARC officials, or at least convince them to tone down their support for destroying the drug gangs and rebels.

February 28, 2007: Venezuela is becoming more important as a FARC base, and transit point for FARC cocaine shipments. In Venezuela, officials look the other way as FARC drugs are flown to Haiti and the Dominican Republic, and thence on their way to Europe and the United States. The government of Venezuela wants leftist governments throughout South America, which puts it in opposition to the current Colombian government, and behind the FARC rebels.

February 23, 2007: FARC has offered to negotiate a prisoner swap, but the government turned it down and ordered an increase in hostage rescue efforts. FARC is having a harder time moving its hostages around, and avoiding army patrols looking for them.

February 16, 2007: In the capital, a bomb went off near the governors office. One person was wounded.

February 14, 2007: The border with Ecuador is looking more like a war zone, as both Ecuador and Colombia move more troops and police into the remote area. The government has resumed destroying coca crops on the border, using aerial spraying. Ecuador does not like this, claiming that chemicals drift across the order. The big problem, though, is the presence of Colombian drug gangs in Ecuador. These guys are heavily armed and not inclined to obey the local laws. Ecuador does not even like to admit these thugs exist, but there they are, and in growing numbers. Nearly a thousand Colombians have fled into Ecuador to get away from the fighting. The army is basically pushing the drug gangs and FARC (leftist rebels) out of Colombia.

 

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