ELN bombing in Bogota

[mudd]

two days ago, two bombs went off in bogota, President Santos blames rebel group ELN.  i guess they didnt get the same payoff payments from  the president that the Farc receives   

[buencamino]

What payoff payments are you referring to?

[Awesome]

They need the farc and eln and abc and xyz to do a few attacks or bombs or whatever so that the CIA and the US gov have an excuse to stay deeply involved in Colombia, and of course spend billions of US taxpayer dollars in the process.

[buencamino]

According to SEMANA the attack by the ELN may have resulted in part from the fact that the government's dialog with them has not gone well and they are showing that they remain a force to be dealt with. News that didn't get as much play is that two weeks ago they mined a landing zone for army Black Hawk helicopters blowing one up and killing various military personal.

http://www.semana.com/nacion/articulo/quien-pone-las-bombas-en-bogota/433563-3

[mudd]

What payoff payments are you referring to?

santos has been paying off the rebels( farc) for quite some time now, if they give up their arms they get a monthly payment " bribe payment" not to shoot, go back to farc  or bomb anything, ask any colombian who follows the news, most are pissed that santos made this deal,  most say is "just giving the farc," ( which are pretty much drug dealers now, no difference,) "more time to rearm and get more money to buy arms" my taxi driver says santos is just trying to get the nobel prize.

[Chris F]

santos has been paying off the rebels( farc) for quite some time now, if they give up their arms they get a monthly payment " bribe payment" not to shoot, go back to farc  or bomb anything, ask any colombian who follows the news, most are pissed that santos made this deal,  most say is "just giving the farc," ( which are pretty much drug dealers now, no difference,) "more time to rearm and get more money to buy arms" my taxi driver says santos is just trying to get the nobel prize.

Wow!!  Why should any man even bother to find work in Colombia when you can get paid for free simply by joining the farc and then tell Santos you will quit for  a "monthly payment"

You know...plenty of guys here have posted over the years that they have considered  moving to Colombia but worry about how they could make a living there. Well..... they can join farc and then quit as well!!!  

I bet the monthly payments the expats will receive from Santos pays more than the English teaching jobs down there!!!

[buencamino]

Lets not get carried away with chismes, The FARC are not receiving any payment from the Colombian government in Colombia at this time. There are various proposals on the table regarding how they will be treated if they agree to peace.

[mudd]

not from what i have been told by various colombians. if you were a farc fighter and gave up your arms to the govt, your getting paid,

[robert angel]

not from what i have been told by various colombians. if you were a farc fighter and gave up your arms to the govt, your getting paid,

That sort of thing isn't uncommon in South East Asian nations either. It can be a bit more complicated, but giving up arms is often tied up in how natural resources such as coal and oil, as well as narcotics and weapons, can be handled. It's about power and territory too. I suppose the above are also factors in South and Central America and like the S.E. Asian countries, there are typically splinter groups coming from the main group who just aren't happy with the original agreement and decide to 'freelance'.

It's the reason why many first world nations simply refuse to deal --to 'negotiate' with terrorists. (at least not openly) It opens a door that just wants to get forced wider and wider, feeding the problem rather than eradicating it.

Perhaps worst of all, the 'common people' who might not die in as great a number from things like bus station bombings, overall are typically in worse economic situations than before and still have to answer to the govt. and to the terrorists. They're stuck in a 'no mans land' while the terrorists, the wealthy who profit from being able to more freely profit from 'trade' and the govt. officials at the top, benefit the most.

[buencamino]

not from what i have been told by various colombians. if you were a farc fighter and gave up your arms to the govt, your getting paid,

You're talking about the desmovilizados not active frentes of the guerrilla in which case yes those individuals are getting subsidies.

[Elexpatriado]

I dont know..I am not a guerrilla or neither am I santos..only they know thectruth..not some Colombiano in the street or anyone posting here..The negotiations in Habana are quite complex

[robert angel]

I dont know..I am not a guerrilla or neither am I santos..only they know thectruth..not some Colombiano in the street or anyone posting here..The negotiations in Habana are quite complex

While on one hand negotiating with terrorists legitimizes their existence, it's much easier said than done to say that eradication, pure and simple, is the only answer. When you have terrorists that can disappear and survive for long periods in the wilderness, terrorists   who still have supporters within populated areas, it becomes quite nebulous. In recent years, the clarity in defining who amongst the general population is on which side has become more difficult. Economic disparity makes such scenarios more common.

When a 12 year old who's family is starving is approached by armed forces who tell him "Join us, we'll help feed your family, we'll give you a gun and people will fear and respect you", he's not going to dismiss their offer lightly.

[V_Man]

For anyone that doesn't know, Santos' seemingly endless negotiations with FARC are very unpopular with large sections of the population. Many people want FARC to pay for their crimes. They see aspects of the negotiations and perhaps even the whole idea of a political settlement as letting FARC get away with terrorism and murder. They also are extremely skeptical that a binding peace agreement will actually be reached in any case.


Read a little about Colombian history and you'll see there are very genuine reasons for this point of view.



Hence any suggestion of compromises from the government is often latched onto and met with derision and scorn by large sections of the population.


If you keep reading about Colombian history and Colombian demographics you might also come to the view that the only way to end the cycle of violence is with a political solution.

The ELN appears to be feeling increasingly marginalised in all this, and hence the suggestion that the ELN are bombing mostly just to get attention.

If that sounds complex, keep reading up, because it gets worse.

On top of all of this, it is absolutely vital that the standard of living and outlook for the future for ordinary Colombians keeps improving. In my view this is the only thing that will really create a lasting peace there.

[robert angel]

For anyone that doesn't know, Santos' seemingly endless negotiations with FARC are very unpopular with large sections of the population. Many people want FARC to pay for their crimes. They see aspects of the negotiations and perhaps even the whole idea of a political settlement as letting FARC get away with terrorism and murder. They also are extremely skeptical that a binding peace agreement will actually be reached in any case.


Read a little about Colombian history and you'll see there are very genuine reasons for this point of view.



Hence any suggestion of compromises from the government is often latched onto and met with derision and scorn by large sections of the population.


If you keep reading about Colombian history and Colombian demographics you might also come to the view that the only way to end the cycle of violence is with a political solution.

The ELN appears to be feeling increasingly marginalised in all this, and hence the suggestion that the ELN are bombing mostly just to get attention.

If that sounds complex, keep reading up, because it gets worse.

On top of all of this, it is absolutely vital that the standard of living and outlook for the future for ordinary Colombians keeps improving. In my view this is the only thing that will really create a lasting peace there.

Economic inequity has long been the main fuel that sustains unrest, terrorism and ultimately, revolutions. And yes, it is very complicated. On the one hand, negotiations and or/ payments seems to legitimize a group's existence, but on the other hand, if they have a legitimate grievance, can mix in amongst the populace, some of whom are sympathizers, what else can you do? Then as is the case apparently (simply put) with the FARC, groups like ELN want the same treatment. And so will others.


>>On May 21, 2015, the Colombian Air Force (FAC) bombed the base camp of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) killing 26 guerrillas.  Three days later the FAC bombed other FARC bases killing 14 more guerrillas.  This was part of an official offensive, launched by President Juan Manuel Santos, the US’s most loyal client in Latin America.  Among the victims were FARC Commanders Jairo Martinez, a participant in the ongoing peace negotiations in Havana and Roman Ruiz.

Colombia works closely with the US, through Bernard Aronson, a very intrusive neo-conservative ‘overseer’, who is Washington’s coordinator in the Colombian counter-insurgency war. The US maintains seven military bases and has stationed over one thousand US ‘advisers’ in the field and within the Colombian Defense Ministry. <<
http://www.globalresearch.ca/peace-negotiations-or-war-preparations-colombia-iran-china-cuba-ukraine-yemen-and-syria/5453821

FARC, Dating back fifty years, with roots going back further--to at least the 1940s, claims to be Marxist Leninist, Communist (archaic) in philosophy, but is also immensely profitable for some:

>>FARC receives most of its funding—which has been estimated to average some $300 million per year—from taxation of the illegal drug trade and other activities, ransom kidnappings, bank robberies, and extortion of large landholders, multinational corporations, and agribusiness. From taxation of illegal drugs and other economic activity<<
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FARC

Recently, when the Premier of China made his grand tour of Latin America, dispensing billions of dollars in aid all around, it is somewhat ironic that they--the biggest of all of communist countries, offered the President of Colombia millions of dollars in aid against the FARC. It's not too often that China and the USA are both pitching against the same team.

So yes, it's complicated alright...