September 9,2008:
Increasing success against FARC
has resulted in a growing number of captured documents. This, in turn, has
revealed the extensive support FARC has received from foreign leftists. The
latest revelation shows how the Italian Communist Party helped support (in
terms of access and cash) FARC representatives in Europe. European leftists, in
general, have long supported FARC, and other leftist Colombian rebel
organizations. This support continued even after it became obvious that FARC
had largely become a drug gang.
As FARC, and
other leftists, lose territory and personnel, the criminal gangs they are
allied with suffer casualties as well. While most of the gangs are involved
with the cocaine trade, some specialize in counterfeiting. Police recently
raided one of these operations, and seized $16 million worth of Euros. This
currency is preferred by the counterfeiters these days, because the biggest
denomination is worth 500 Euros ($800), while the largest American denomination
is the $100 bill. Kidnapping gangs have also taken a beating, as well as all
manner of criminal operations. The government has to work out how to deal with
a post-FARC world. It appears that FARC will never completely disappear, but will
dissolve into many smaller political and criminal gangs. The future of Colombia
is one of dealing with a very high crime rates. Crime has been a major problem
in Colombia for many generations. Dealing with the outlaw attitudes and culture
is considered a formidable challenge.
The
government raids are catching more of the command level of FARC. This can be
seen by the quality of documents and equipment being seized. There is also a
lot more cash seized, including a million dollars (mostly in U.S. currency)
seized in one recent raid. The troops are trained to deal with captured laptops
and memory sticks (flash memory "thumb drives"), as well as satellite
phones. Information quickly taken off these devices, can be passed on to
headquarters and be used to carry out additional raids within hours.
The police
and army are increasingly faced with the problems of rebuilding the government
infrastructure in areas that have spent a decade or more under FARC control.
Roads and utilities (electricity, water and sewage) had gone to pieces while
the gangs were in control, and government was minimal (and very rough). Poverty
rates were much higher in FARC areas, and once the government regains control,
some of the locals flee for the more prosperous cities, and scramble for
opportunities there.
September 3,
2008: Police captured 4.8 tons of
cocaine, apparently stored near the coast awaiting transport to the U.S. or
Europe.
September 1,
2008: Although the leftist government of
Ecuador is sympathetic to leftist rebels in Colombia, it is not happy with the
many FARC camps on its 700 kilometers of Colombian border. Ecuador has asked
Colombia to send more troops to the border, to work with Ecuadoran soldiers. The
FARC fighters set up shop 5 or 10 kilometers inside Ecuador, where they cause
trouble for the locals, and sometimes use violence when confronted by Ecuadoran
officials. Ecuador has moved 11,000 troops to their Colombian border, but these
have not been sufficient to clear out dozens FARC groups. That's despite the
army finding and destroying about a hundred FARC camps so far this year,
compared to 47 for all of last year. The FARC fighters are skilled at detecting
the approach of troops, and quickly clearing out. All the Ecuadoran troops
usually find is an empty camp site. FARC is also working with drug gangs, which
are a growing force in Ecuador. A similar situation has developed on the
Panamanian border.
August 31,
2008: A car bomb went off in Cali,
killing four and wounding twenty. A government building was heavily damaged,
and FARC was suspected.