CONFLICT BAROMETER 2008

48 Conflict Barometer 2008
group’s 35th Front. A combined air and ground attack
of the Colombian forces on March 1 killed Raúl Reyes,
FARC’s deputy commander, together with at least 25
other guerrillas on Ecuadorian territory. The incident
caused a diplomatic crisis between Colombia, Ecuador,
and Venezuela [→ Colombia - Ecuador; Colombia -
Venezuela (system)]. Military forces succeeded in securing
Reyes’s computer from the site, which contained
important strategic information. On March 5, Iván Ríos,
another key leader and member of the FARC secretariat,
was killed by one of his subordinates for the official
reward placed on Ríos’s head. FARC’s founder
and highest-ranking leader, Manuel Marulanda, died of
a heart attack on March 26. Guerrilla leader ”El Paisa”
and another eight FARC rebels were killed on September
22. Finally, ”Felipe Rincón” and a further four guerrilla
members were killed in a military attack on a jungle
camp in the province of Meta on October 29. Moreover,
FARC suffered rising desertion and massive infiltration
by state forces. For instance, on May 18, the leader of
the 47th Front surrendered to the police. According to official
sources, approx. 1,500 FARC rebels surrendered
or deserted between January and mid-June alone. Consequently,
experts estimated that FARC severely lost
manpower, leaving approx. 9,000 fighters. On July
2, an undercover military action succeeded in freeing
long-held high-profile hostage Ingrid Betancourt and 14
other hostages. Millions of people demonstrated in the
capital, Bogotá, and around the world on February 4
and July 20 to demand the end of FARC violence and
the freeing of remaining hostages. FARC renewed its
claim for a demilitarized zone and an exchange of prisoners.
President Álvaro Uribe offered a certain area as
demilitarized zone, which FARC rejected as being too
small. The group sporadically released hostages to signalize
its readiness for talks and to keep up pressure
on Uribe. On January 10, FARC released two hostages
after a process of mediation by Venezuelan President
Hugo Chávez. Another four high-profile hostages were
released on February 27. FARC conducted a series of
bombings in the second half of the year. On August 15, a
FARC bomb killed five people and injured 40 in Ituango
in the northwestern department of Antioquia. Another
ambush in the southwestern city of Cali killed a further
five and injured at least 20 people. On September 17,
two bombs exploded in Bogotá. Another bomb attack in
the town of Neiva in the southwestern province of Huila
killed one person and injured eight on October 12. Finally,
FARC on October 16 offered peace talks. (jjh)
Colombia (various indigenous groups)
Intensity: 3 Change: Start: 2005
Conflict parties: various indigenous groups vs. government
Conflict items: system/ideology, resources
The conflict over resources and the orientation of the
political system between the Guambianos and various
other indigenous groups, on the one hand, and the
government, on the other, escalated to a crisis. Between
October 13 and 15, approx. 22,000 indigenous
protesters clashed heavily with police forces on various
occasions in the southwestern departments of Cauca
and Valle del Cauca. Three indigenous supporters died,
and another 140 as well as ten policemen were injured.
Initially, the indigenous groups had been holding protests
against the loss of their native lands and the killing of
more than 20 members of their tribes since the beginning
of 2008. They believed paramilitary groups and
Colombian military forces to be responsible for these incidents.
President Álvaro Uribe, however, claimed that
the protesters were infiltrated by FARC rebels [→ Colombia
(FARC)], and announced that no further outbreak of
violence would be tolerated. After a meeting between
Uribe and leaders of the indigenous groups on November
2 failed to yield any results, a new protest march attended
by 5,000 indigenous people was launched in the
city of Cali on November 10. The march was aimed to
lead to the capital, Bogotá, and inspire as many indigenous
protesters as possible. (jjh)
Colombia - Ecuador
Intensity: 2 Change: Start: 2005
Conflict parties: Colombia vs. Ecuador
Conflict items: international power
The conflict between Colombia and Ecuador over border
violations continued. On 12/13/07, Ecuadorian President
Rafael Correa announced that 11,000 army forces,
a quarter of the army’s total strength, had been deployed
along the border to Colombia. A combined air and
ground offensive of Colombian forces targeted a FARC
camp near the town of Santa Rosa, Ecuador. Operation
Fénix, which involved the use of helicopters, light attack
aircrafts, cluster bombs, and military squads, resulted in
the death of FARC’s vice Chief Raúl Reyes and 25 suspected
rebels on March 1 [→ Colombia (FARC)]. It later
transpired that an Ecuadorian citizen was among those
killed in the raid. In reaction, Correa heavily protested
and suspended diplomatic relations with Colombia, expelling
Colombia’s ambassador from the Ecuadorian
capital, Quito. Furthermore, he mobilized troops in the
border region. On March 3, Colombia declared its regret
over the border violation but claimed that Ecuadorian authorities
had ties with FARC. Correa strongly refuted the
accusation. In the aftermath, both sides held talks mediated
within the OAS framework and by former US President
Jimmy Carter. On March 8, both presidents shook
hands at the Rio Group summit in the Dominican Republic.
However, an Ecuadorian military helicopter crossed
the Colombian border on March 30, and was intercepted
in Colombian air space by two Black Hawk helicopters.
The Ecuadorian authorities apologized for the incident,
claiming a navigation mistake. Despite that incident,
both presidents agreed to restore low-level diplomatic relations
immediately and without preconditions on June 6.
(cgb, jjh)
Colombia - Venezuela (system)
Intensity: 2 Change: Start: 2004
Conflict parties: Colombia vs. Venezuela
Conflict items: system/ideology, international power
The system conflict between Colombia and Venezuela
continued. On January 13, Venezuelan President Hugo
Chávez demanded that Colombia reclassify the leftwing