Harris and Trump make final push in must-win Pennsylvania    Drones and snipers on standby to protect Arizona vote-counters    India's Modi condemns violence after Canada temple incident    Elon Musk can keep giving $1m to voters, judge rules    Al Ahli extends perfect start with 5-1 victory over Al Shorta    Mitrovic's hat-trick leads Al Hilal to 3-0 victory over Esteghlal    Tourism Development Fund launches "Tourism Empowerment" programs to enhance sustainable growth of SMEs    Saudi crown prince, Tunisian president review bilateral relations in phone call    SFDA Chief visits premier biotechnology and medical firms in China    Al-Khereiji: Collective action in combating terrorism is a must for achieving stability and prosperity    Saudi Awwal Bank becomes the Kingdom's first bank obtaining ISO certification for quality management system in operations    10 cooperation agreements signed during Saudi-Turkish Business Forum in Istanbul    Saudi Arabia's non-oil revenues grow 6% in 9 months while Q3 budget posts SR30 billion deficit    Quincy Jones, titan of US music, dies aged 91    Enhancing zakat, tax, and customs compliance takes center stage at the Zakat, Tax, and Customs Conference 2024    Neymar expected to join Al Hilal squad for AFC clash against Esteghlal, says coach Jesus    Al Qadsiah secure 2-0 victory over Al Ettifaq in first Eastern Derby since 2021    Hidden sugars in Asia's baby food spark concerns    HONOR unveils pre-order of the stunning HONOR MagicBook Art 14 Featuring an ultra-slim design, HONOR Eye Comfort Display and AI Cross-OS WorkStation    Teri Garr, Young Frankenstein and Tootsie star, dies at 79    India puts blockbuster Pakistani film on hold    The Vikings and the Islamic world    Filipino pilgrim's incredible evolution from an enemy of Islam to its staunch advocate    Muted Eid celebrations for millions of Nigerian Muslims    Exotic Taif Roses Simulation Performed at Taif Rose Festival    Asian shares mixed Tuesday    Weather Forecast for Tuesday    Saudi Tourism Authority Participates in Arabian Travel Market Exhibition in Dubai    Minister of Industry Announces 50 Investment Opportunities Worth over SAR 96 Billion in Machinery, Equipment Sector    HRH Crown Prince Offers Condolences to Crown Prince of Kuwait on Death of Sheikh Fawaz Salman Abdullah Al-Ali Al-Malek Al-Sabah    HRH Crown Prince Congratulates Santiago Peña on Winning Presidential Election in Paraguay    SDAIA Launches 1st Phase of 'Elevate Program' to Train 1,000 Women on Data, AI    41 Saudi Citizens and 171 Others from Brotherly and Friendly Countries Arrive in Saudi Arabia from Sudan    Saudi Arabia Hosts 1st Meeting of Arab Authorities Controlling Medicines    General Directorate of Narcotics Control Foils Attempt to Smuggle over 5 Million Amphetamine Pills    NAVI Javelins Crowned as Champions of Women's Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) Competitions    Saudi Karate Team Wins Four Medals in World Youth League Championship    Third Edition of FIFA Forward Program Kicks off in Riyadh    Evacuated from Sudan, 187 Nationals from Several Countries Arrive in Jeddah    SPA Documents Thajjud Prayer at Prophet's Mosque in Madinah    SFDA Recommends to Test Blood Sugar at Home Two or Three Hours after Meals    SFDA Offers Various Recommendations for Safe Food Frying    SFDA Provides Five Tips for Using Home Blood Pressure Monitor    SFDA: Instant Soup Contains Large Amounts of Salt    Mawani: New shipping service to connect Jubail Commercial Port to 11 global ports    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Delivers Speech to Pilgrims, Citizens, Residents and Muslims around the World    Sheikh Al-Issa in Arafah's Sermon: Allaah Blessed You by Making It Easy for You to Carry out This Obligation. Thus, Ensure Following the Guidance of Your Prophet    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques addresses citizens and all Muslims on the occasion of the Holy month of Ramadan    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



Colombian rebels on brink of defeat
Published in The Saudi Gazette on 06 - 07 - 2008

COLOMBIA's rescue of Ingrid Betancourt shows Latin America's oldest insurgency is on the brink of defeat in its cocaine-financed war for control of the country, even though the group could take years to die out.
Wednesday's rescue of French-Colombian politician Betancourt, three Americans and 11 Colombians held for years in the jungle immediately boosted confidence in the Andean nation as the peso currency surged along with the local stock market.
“This was the worst blow to the morale of the rebels ever,” Alvaro Jimenez, an ex-member of the demobilized Colombian M-19 guerrilla group, said. “But that does not mean the war is over. The death throes of this conflict could be very prolonged.”
With this and other recent strikes against leftist FARC rebels, US ally President Alvaro Uribe has crowned his success at improving security in the industrialized north of the country, which is attracting record foreign investment. But conditions in other parts of the country of 44 million people may still help guerrillas limp along for years more, nourished by the cocaine trade and rural underdevelopment that breeds a steady pool of young, resentful recruits.
Real stability hinges on defeating the thriving drug business. Cultivation of coca plants used to make cocaine rose 27 percent last year and Colombia remains the world's No. 1 exporter even as the the guerrillas' power has waned.
Billions of dollars in US military aid and Uribe's unflinching offensive has the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, reeling and unlikely to recover as a coherent national force capable to challenging the state.
The killing earlier this year of two FARC secretariat members, one betrayed and dismembered by a bodyguard motivated by a government reward, ended four decades of government failure to hit the guerrillas' top leadership.
Then the group's leader, Manuel “Sureshot” Marulanda, died of natural causes.
“The only thing the FARC can negotiate at this point is its own defeat and they are not ideologically suited to do that,” Jimenez, who is now a political analyst, said. “It would be an illusion to think the FARC is just going to collapse.”
Rescue reveals fissures
But it was the rescue, in which state agents posed as members of a FARC-friendly group promising to transport the hostages to a new location by helicopter, that exposed how disorganized the guerrilla army has become.
Once in the air the captives were told they were free, causing a celebration so raucous it almost downed the aircraft, said Betancourt, who was an international cause celebre and the FARC's main bargaining chip for a prisoner swap.
The group's top international ally, leftist President Hugo Chavez from neighboring Venezuela, has urged the intransigent rebels to free all hostages and start talks for peace.
But the rebels are well-funded by taxing the 600 tons of cocaine exported from Colombia each year even as Uribe's policies attract investment to the developed northern parts of the country. The rural southern regions may remain a risk.
Uribe, who has many supporters clamoring for him to change the constitution to run for a third term in 2010, wants to turn the south into a big food and biofuel producer. But those plans are only in first stages and depend on more security advances.
A decade ago, the rebels were taking over towns, encroaching on cities and blowing up energy installations so frequently that investors shunned Colombia. But now the FARC appears increasingly like a group such as Shining Path, which used to attack in Peru at will but now is left with only isolated hold-out units.
“It is likely that the FARC will gradually fragment into smaller groups still engaged in cocaine and other crime,” said Michael Shifter, of the Washington-based think tank Inter-American Dialogue.
“This will continue to be a problem for Colombia, but a far cry from the unified force the FARC was 10 years ago.” - Reuters __


Clic here to read the story from its source.