Abstract

Guerrilla Rising In Colombia

This article focuses on guerrilla rising in Colombia. Celebrated in guidebooks for its gentle weather and lively night life, Cali, a city in south west Colombia, has recently gained notoriety because of the increased guerrilla presence in the surrounding countryside. The most active group is M-19, which leaped into world prominence last November, when its fighters seized the Palace of Justice in the capital. President Belisario Betancur took office in 1982 pledging to end the thirty-year insurgency, and his government signed a truce with most of the eight rebel groups in May 1984, including M-19. But in the case of Palace of Justice, by refusing to negotiate with the M-19 forces, Betancur set the stage for the death of some one hundred guerrillas and civilians.