UN condemns FARC bombings

Since we were having a discussion earlier about the Geneva Conventions and the FARC's claim to follow those rules of conduct, I thought this was of interest.

BOGOTA, Colombia - (AP) The United Nations on Wednesday condemned Colombian guerrillas for using propane gas cylinder bombs in recent attacks on an Indian village that flattened dozens of homes and sent villagers fleeing.

The 3,000 residents of Caldono in southwest Colombia began to trickle back Wednesday despite fears of more bombings by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, local officials said. The attacks started over the weekend and forced most villagers to seek temporary shelter in nearby towns.

At least three civilians were wounded and 63 homes and other buildings suffered severe damage, the United Nations said in a statement.

The FARC used propane gas tanks packed with explosives to attack Caldono, 400 kilometers (250 miles) southwest of Bogota. The bombs were directed at the town's police station but because they are impossible to aim with precision, mostly hit nearby homes.

The U.N. said such bombs "do not distinguish between military targets and civilians."
Caldono is located near Toribio, a town that was beset by intense clashes in April between the FARC and the government. The violence quickly spread across a 22-kilometer (14-mile) front along the western face of the Central Cordillera of the Andes. It lasted for two weeks and was the first time in years the FARC has stood its ground, instead of carrying out hit-and-run attacks.

The FARC has been fighting the government for social revolution since 1964 in a conflict that claims more than 3,000 lives a year.

By Mr. Hollywood on Jul 6, 2005, 16:11 in Politics & the war.