FARC increases attacks on Columbian energy sector
AP: Rebels blew up another energy pylon, extending a series of attacks on Colombian oil and power systems.
BOGOTA - Leftist rebels blew up another power tower in southwestern Colombia on Wednesday, leaving 400,000 people without electricity, officials said.
The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, began to sabotage the infrastructure in Putumayo state over the weekend. Eight oil wells, an oil pipeline and at least three energy pylons have been blown up with dynamite since Friday, said Col. Humberto Guatibonza, the state's police commander.
The Wednesday attack targeted a key pylon, blacking out nine of the 13 counties in Putumayo, including the capital city of Mocoa, said Lt. Gov. Belian Pantoja.
''The lights went out early this morning,'' Pantoja said by telephone from her darkened office, 310 miles southwest of Bogotá.
The FARC controls huge swaths of land in the jungle-covered Putumayo, a center of cocaine production along the Ecuadorean border. Because the Colombian military does not have a strong presence, the region is a frequent target of rebel sabotage and other violence.
''We live this constantly,'' Pantoja said. ``It is part of our culture.''
Electricity would not be restored until at least Friday because repair crews must enter the region protected by army units, said Gabriel Gallón, spokesman for the state-controlled electric grid company, ISA.
Rebels blew up 227 of the 165-foot-tall towers last year, up from 121 the preceding year but well short of a high of 483 downed pylons in 2002, the official said.
In July, similar FARC attacks on the infrastructure over several days left more than two million people without electricity in Putumayo and bordering states. At that time, the rebels also imposed a ''traffic ban'' in which they threatened to attack any vehicle on the road. The move paralyzed the state and began to cause food shortages, but after more than two weeks, the rebels lifted the ban.
Pantoja said that no such traffic ban has been issued by the rebels this time.
The weekend attack on oil wells caused a spill affecting a 60-mile stretch of river in the area. Guatibonza said Wednesday that the thickest part of the spill had been located and a cleanup was under way.
The 12,000-strong FARC has been fighting for 41 years with the expressed intent of overthrowing the government and installing a socialist-style rule. It funds itself largely through drug trafficking and kidnapping for ransom.
The government has warned that attacks on the infrastructure and military installations are likely to be frequent in the run-up to the presidential election in May.
BOGOTA - Leftist rebels blew up another power tower in southwestern Colombia on Wednesday, leaving 400,000 people without electricity, officials said.
The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, began to sabotage the infrastructure in Putumayo state over the weekend. Eight oil wells, an oil pipeline and at least three energy pylons have been blown up with dynamite since Friday, said Col. Humberto Guatibonza, the state's police commander.
The Wednesday attack targeted a key pylon, blacking out nine of the 13 counties in Putumayo, including the capital city of Mocoa, said Lt. Gov. Belian Pantoja.
''The lights went out early this morning,'' Pantoja said by telephone from her darkened office, 310 miles southwest of Bogotá.
The FARC controls huge swaths of land in the jungle-covered Putumayo, a center of cocaine production along the Ecuadorean border. Because the Colombian military does not have a strong presence, the region is a frequent target of rebel sabotage and other violence.
''We live this constantly,'' Pantoja said. ``It is part of our culture.''
Electricity would not be restored until at least Friday because repair crews must enter the region protected by army units, said Gabriel Gallón, spokesman for the state-controlled electric grid company, ISA.
Rebels blew up 227 of the 165-foot-tall towers last year, up from 121 the preceding year but well short of a high of 483 downed pylons in 2002, the official said.
In July, similar FARC attacks on the infrastructure over several days left more than two million people without electricity in Putumayo and bordering states. At that time, the rebels also imposed a ''traffic ban'' in which they threatened to attack any vehicle on the road. The move paralyzed the state and began to cause food shortages, but after more than two weeks, the rebels lifted the ban.
Pantoja said that no such traffic ban has been issued by the rebels this time.
The weekend attack on oil wells caused a spill affecting a 60-mile stretch of river in the area. Guatibonza said Wednesday that the thickest part of the spill had been located and a cleanup was under way.
The 12,000-strong FARC has been fighting for 41 years with the expressed intent of overthrowing the government and installing a socialist-style rule. It funds itself largely through drug trafficking and kidnapping for ransom.
The government has warned that attacks on the infrastructure and military installations are likely to be frequent in the run-up to the presidential election in May.
posted by Marko at 1/05/2006 09:23:00 AM
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