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The race to clear Colombia's landmines

December 6, 2009 09:23Updated May 30, 2010 13:15
SAN CARLOS — Sergeant Juan Carlos Ruiz’s boots trod carefully up a hillside thick with bright green vegetation and dotted with abandoned homes. Three months ago, he would have been dodging mines. Today, he tries to avoid stomping over the budding bean plants in front of a vacant home. The home used to belong to a rebel commander of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). Ruiz and his squadron of deminers found a ring of explosives buried around the house. “In the case that the military attacked the house, it would’ve gone off,” said Ruiz.

Full Frame: Searching for peace in Ecuador

Caroline BennettDecember 26, 2009 10:40Updated May 30, 2010 13:14
Full Frame features photo essays and conversations with photographers in the field. The refugee crisis spawned by ongoing conflict in Colombia has left millions displaced. Unable to stay in their home country, hundreds of thousands have made their way across the border to Ecuador. But these refugees often face tremendous difficulty integrating into society.

Decades of work, but no land titles to show for it

November 30, 2009 08:10Updated May 30, 2010 13:14
LA MACARENA, Colombia — In this farm town once ruled by drug-running rebels, Mayor Eliecer Vargas wants to pave the dirt roads, install water pipes and build parks. He wants to convince people that the government is on their side. But hardly anyone living in and around La Macarena holds legal title to their land. As a result, they pay no property taxes, rendering the town hall nearly bankrupt. “We should be taking in about 200 million pesos [about $100,000] per year,” Vargas said. “But there’s no way to collect.”

Apologizing for a father's sins

November 7, 2009 15:11Updated May 30, 2010 13:13
Interview: The son of drug lord Pablo Escobar plays a central role in a film about his father’s legacy.

Soccer team's murder leaves villagers scared

November 4, 2009 07:55Updated May 30, 2010 13:12
CHURURU, Venezuela — This sleepy town on Venezuela’s border with Colombia has been “candela” — or “on fire” — after a local soccer team was massacred. Two weeks ago, 12 men — 10 Colombians, one Peruvian and one Venezuelan — were kidnapped from a soccer field on the main road between Tachira state capital San Cristobal and Barinas.

War-zone tourism

November 8, 2009 10:45Updated May 30, 2010 13:11
CANO CRISTALES, Colombia – At this national park in southern Colombia, the pristine water cascades over red, purple, green and yellow plants growing on the rocky riverbed. No wonder Cano Cristales has been described as a place “where the rainbow becomes a river.” But if this is paradise, why am I the only foreign tourist? The park receives only a few dozen mostly Colombian visitors per week. That’s because Cano Cristales, which means crystal stream, sits in a patch of territory that was once ruled by Marxist guerrillas.

Colombia's rebel turncoats

October 29, 2009 07:14Updated May 30, 2010 13:11
Editor's note: GlobalPost's correspondent John Otis had a rare opportunity to embed with the Colombian army during a mission against the FARC. This two-part series details his time in the battle zone and the rise in rebel deserters. LA MACARENA, Colombia — The earnest plea calling on Marxist guerrillas to give up the fight comes from an unlikely messenger.

In the jungle with the Colombian army

October 29, 2009 08:06Updated May 30, 2010 13:11
Editor's note: GlobalPost's correspondent John Otis had a rare opportunity to embed with the Colombian army during a mission against the FARC. This two-part series details his time in the battle zone and the rise in rebel deserters.

Angel, or FARC in disguise?

October 10, 2009 11:46Updated May 30, 2010 13:10
BOGOTA, Colombia — She’s been described as an angel. A brave woman who makes Herculean efforts to gain the freedom of others. A devil in disguise who promotes the causes of rebel groups. A traitor who hurls critiques of the government.

Colombia's spy scandal

October 1, 2009 06:54Updated May 30, 2010 13:09
BOGOTA, Colombia – Wearing headphones and seated in front of computers, a dozen government spies eavesdrop on the telephone calls of suspected criminals. The agents are members of the DAS, Colombia’s main intelligence agency, and they’ve received court orders to carry out these particular phone taps. But for at least the past four years, DAS agents have also been illegally monitoring telephone calls made by Colombian politicians, human rights activists, judges and journalists.
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