US embassy cable - 02BOGOTA3159

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BOGOTA 003159 

E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/08/2012 
TAGS: PTER, PHUM, PINR, SOCI, CO 
SUBJECT: FARC RESUMES ATTACKS AGAINST CIVILIAN POPULATION 
 
CLASSIFIED BY AMBASSADOR ANNE W. PATTERSON, REASONS: 
1.5 (B) AND (D). 
 
1. (U) SUMMARY: FARC ACTIONS AGAINST THE MILITARY, THE 
CIVILIAN POPULATION, AND COLOMBIA'S INFRASTRUCTURE FLARED 
DURING A THREE-WEEK PERIOD FOLLOWING THE END OF THE 
DESPEJE.  SINCE THEN, FARC ACTIVITY AGAINST THE 
POPULATION HAD BEEN MINIMAL, UNTIL THIS PAST WEEK: FROM 
MARCH 24 TO 27, FARC REBELS ATTACKED THE TOWN OF SARAVENA 
(ARAUCA DEPARTMENT) TWICE, DESTROYING SEVERAL GOC 
OFFICES.  ON APRIL 5, INTERNATIONAL RED CROSS MEMBERS 
RECOVERED THE BODIES OF TWO POLICEMEN MURDERED BY THE 
FARC.  ONE WAS THE FATHER OF ANDRES FELIPE PEREZ, THE 13- 
YEAR OLD CANCER PATIENT WHO DIED LAST DECEMBER, AFTER 
REPEATED PLEAS TO THE FARC TO RELEASE HIS FATHER.  ON 
APRIL 6, FARC OPERATIVES EXPLODED TWO BOMBS IN A POPULAR 
NIGHT SPOT IN VILLAVICENCIO, KILLING 12 AND INJURING 100 
OTHERS.    EMBASSY CONTACTS ALSO REPORTED TWO BOMB 
EXPLOSIONS IN BOGOTA OVER THE WEEKEND, THE FIRST NEAR 
BOGOTA'S HEAVILY-USED TRANSMILENIO PUBLIC TRANSIT SYSTEM, 
AND THE SECOND AGAINST AN AUTO-REPAIR SHOP USED BY HIGH- 
LEVEL POLICE OFFICERS.  END SUMMARY. 
 
2. (U) ON MARCH 24, AN EXPLOSION IN SARAVENA (ARAUCA 
DEPARTMENT) CAUSED HEAVY DAMAGE TO THE OFFICES OF THE 
ATTORNEY GENERAL AND THE PROSECUTOR GENERAL.  ALTHOUGH NO 
ONE WAS INJURED, NEARLY A BLOCK OF COMMERCIAL BUILDINGS 
IN DOWNTOWN SARAVENA WAS LEFT IN RUINS.  LOCAL 
AUTHORITIES CONFIRMED THAT THE EXPLOSIVE DEVICE WAS 
PLANTED BY FARC REBELS.  LESS THAN 48 HOURS LATER, ON 
MARCH 27, ANOTHER DEVICE WENT OFF, DESTROYING THE MAYOR'S 
OFFICE AND THE LOCAL POLICE STATION.  TWO PEOPLE WERE 
INJURED IN THIS SECOND ATTACK.  COLOMBIAN ARMY BOMB 
SQUADS WERE ABLE TO DEFUSE TWO MORE BOMBS THAT SET TO 
EXPLODE IN THE DOWNTOWN AREA. 
 
3. (U) MEANWHILE, IN ANOTHER SAD CHAPTER TO THE SAGA OF 
ANDRES FELIPE PEREZ, ON APRIL 5, THE INTERNATIONAL RED 
CROSS RECOVERED THE BODIES OF TWO POLICE OFFICERS, BOTH 
MURDERED BY THE FARC.  ONE OF THE BODIES WAS THAT OF 
CORPORAL JOSE NORBERTO PEREZ, KIDNAPPED BY THE FARC 27 
MONTHS AGO, FROM RISARALDA DEPARTMENT.  PEREZ WAS THE 
FATHER OF ANDRES FELIPE, A 13-YEAR-OLD BOY WHO DIED OF 
CANCER LAST DECEMBER, AFTER HAVING PLEADED WITH THE FARC 
TO RELEASE HIS FATHER SO THAT THE FAMILY COULD BE 
REUNITED BEFORE THE BOY'S DEATH.  THE FARC REFUSED TO 
RELEASE PEREZ, CAUSING NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL 
OUTRAGE.  THE SECOND BODY WAS IDENTIFIED AS POLICEMAN 
VICTOR MANUEL RUEDA, KIDNAPPED BY THE FARC FROM ANTIOQUIA 
DEPARTMENT IN AUGUST 1999.  IN A STATEMENT TO THE PRESS, 
THE VICTIMS' FAMILIES SAID THAT THE TWO MEN HAD BEEN 
BROUGHT FROM THE JUNGLES OF SOUTHERN COLOMBIA TO 
ANTIOQUIA, WHERE THEY WERE SHOT IN THE BACK WHILE 
ATTEMPTING TO ESCAPE. 
 
4. (U) ON APRIL 7, 12 PEOPLE, INCLUDING SIX MINORS, WERE 
KILLED AND AS MANY AS 100 OTHERS INJURED BY A FARC 
"BOOBY-TRAP" BOMB DETONATED IN VILLAVICENCIO (META 
DEPARTMENT), SOME 50 MILES FROM BOGOTA.  THE TWO-STAGE 
ATTACK TOOK PLACE IN THE "ZONA ROSA" DISTRICT OF THE 
CITY, KNOWN FOR ITS POPULAR BARS AND NIGHTCLUBS.  AT 
APPROXIMATELY 1:00 A.M., A 20-KILOGRAM DEVICE EXPLODED, 
SHAKING THE NEIGHBORHOOD BUT CAUSING LITTLE INJURY OR 
DAMAGE.  MANY IN THE AREA CAME OUTSIDE TO SEE WHAT HAD 
HAPPENED.  ABOUT TEN MINUTES LATER, AFTER A CROWD HAD 
FORMED, AND AFTER THE ARRIVAL OF THE AUTHORITIES, FARC 
TERRORISTS DETONATED A SECOND DEVICE -- A CAR BOMB LOADED 
WITH 100 KILOGRAMS OF HIGH-POWER EXPLOSIVE.  IN ADDITION 
TO THE DEATHS AND INJURIES, THE BLAST DESTROYED 15 
VEHICLES, 30 HOUSES, AND THE HEADQUARTERS OF THE "SUPER 
RADIO" BROADCASTING COMPANY.  PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE 
ALVARO URIBE VELEZ HAS CLAIMED THAT "SUPER RADIO" WAS THE 
TARGET OF THE ATTACK, FOR HAVING IGNORED FARC DEMANDS TO 
STOP BROADCASTING HIS CAMPAIGN ANNOUNCEMENTS.  PRESIDENT 
PASTRANA CONDEMNED THE ATTACKS, SAYING THAT THERE WAS NO 
DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE TERRORIST BOMBINGS IN ISRAEL AND 
THOSE THAT TAKE PLACE IN COLOMBIA.  PASTRANA REITERATED 
HIS REQUEST TO THE WORLD COMMUNITY TO HELP COLOMBIA 
COMBAT THE TERRORISTS. 
 
5. (U) THE APRIL 7 CAR-BOMB IN VILLAVICENCIO WAS THE 
SECOND BOMBING INCIDENT IN THE DEPARTMENT IN TWO DAYS. 
ON APRIL 5, FARC GUERRILLAS DETONATED A BOMB ALONG THE 
VILLAVICENCIO-BOGOTA HIGHWAY, HALTING TRAFFIC FOR TEN 
HOURS.  THE SAME DAY, FARC FORCES DETONATED A CAR BOMB IN 
THE COMMERCIAL DISTRICT OF THE SMALL TOWN OF FUENTE DE 
ORO, DAMAGING FOUR HOMES AND SEVERAL SMALL BUSINESSES. 
POLICE PREVENTED A LARGER TRAGEDY BY ORDERING THE 
EVACUATION OF PEOPLE LIVING IN THE AREA, AFTER DETECTING 
A SECOND CAR HEAVILY LOADED WITH EXPLOSIVES. 
 
6. (U) THE FARC MAY ALSO BE INVOLVED IN THE RECENT MURDER 
OF A PRIEST IN NEIVA (HUILA DEPARTMENT).  ON APRIL 7, TWO 
GUNMEN ENTERED A CHURCH IN NEIVA, AND SHOT AND KILLED 
PRIEST JUAN RAMON NUNEZ, WHILE HE WAS CONDUCTING MASS. 
NUNEZ DIED AT A LOCAL HOSPITAL.  PRESS REPORTS SPECULATED 
THAT HE MIGHT HAVE BEEN TARGETED BECAUSE OF HIS PUBLIC 
DEMAND FOR THE FARC TO RELEASE A LOCAL KIDNAP VICTIM. 
ONE PARISHIONER WAS ALSO WOUNDED IN THE ATTACK.  NUNEZ'S 
MURDER BRINGS TO 40 THE NUMBER OF PRIESTS MURDERED BY THE 
FARC AND ELN IN THE PAST TEN YEARS. 
 
7. (U) EMBASSY ATF REPORTED TWO BOMB EXPLOSIONS IN 
DOWNTOWN BOGOTA ON APRIL 6.  AT 8:20 P.M., A GRENADE 
EXPLODED AT A STATION OF BOGOTA'S POPULAR TRANSMILENIO 
PUBLIC TRANSIT SYSTEM.  THE STATION AND THREE BUSES WERE 
DAMAGED.  DIJIN (JUDICIAL AND INVESTIGATIVE POLICE 
DIRECTORATE) CONTACTS ADVISED THAT ALTHOUGH THE ATTACKER 
HAS NOT BEEN IDENTIFIED, FARC OPERATIVES ARE SUSPECTED, 
BASED ON AN ATTACK ON THE SAME STATION BY FARC FORCES 
ROUGHLY SIX WEEKS AGO.  THE SECOND BLAST TOOK PLACE AT 
AROUND 8:30 P.M., AT AN AUTO-REPAIR SHOP USED BY THE 
COLOMBIAN NATIONAL POLICE.  DIJIN SOURCES REPORTED THAT 
THE BOMB MAY HAVE BEEN PLACED BY FARC AGENTS, WHO HAD 
REPORTEDLY BEEN EXTORTING THE SHOP OWNER. 
 
8. (C) COMMENT: IT IS UNCLEAR WHETHER THE CAR BOMBING IN 
VILLAVICENCIO REPRESENTS THE BEGINNING OF THE FARC'S 
ANTICIPATED ACTIONS IN ADVANCE OF THE MAY 26 PRESIDENTIAL 
ELECTION.  DURING THE PAST SIX WEEKS, THE COLMIL HAS 
MAINTAINED FAIRLY AGGRESSIVE OPERATIONS AGAINST FARC 
UNITS THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY.  ALSO, THE AIR FORCE 
CARRIED OUT PREEMPTIVE STRIKES AGAINST FARC MOBILE 
COLUMNS, WHICH PROBABLY HAS COMPLICATED GUERRILLA EFFORTS 
TO LAUNCH THEIR CAMPAIGN.  AT THE SAME TIME, SENIOR 
COLMIL OFFICERS HAVE ACKNOWLEDGED THAT THEY ARE 
INCREASINGLY HARD PRESSED TO COVER KEY INFRASTRUCTURE 
TARGETS WHILE CONTINUING TO MAINTAIN OFFENSIVE OPERATIONS 
AGAINST THE GUERRILLAS.  WITH THE ELECTIONS ON THE 
HORIZON, THE COLMIL WILL LIKELY BEGIN TO FOCUS THEIR 
EFFORTS ON A STRATEGY TO PROTECT POLLING PLACES AND 
VOTERS, A TASK THAT THEY FULFILLED WITH REMARKABLE 
SUCCESS FOR THE MARCH 10 CONGRESSIONAL ELECTIONS.  DAO 
CONTACTS HAVE ADVISED THAT POLLING SECURITY EFFORTS WILL 
NOT DETRACT FROM "OPERATION TANATOS," THE COLMIL'S 
ONGOING EFFORT TO RE-ESTABLISH GOVERNMENT CONTROL IN 19 
DIFFERENT DEPARTMENTS. 
 
PATTERSON 
 
 
>