At least 250 former combatants occupied Bogota's cathedral on Wednesday, demanding international organizations address their dire situation that is being neglected by the Colombian government.
The protesters, who were disarmed under a deal struck with the government, entered the cathedral, dispersed the congregation and claimed they would not leave until international delegates were informed of the government's negligence of them.
"We demand international organizations send delegates to listen to our voices," said one of the protesters.
Colombian President Alvaro Uribe signed a demobilizing deal with the ultra-rightist paramilitary group the United Self-Defense of Colombia (AUC), created to combat guerillas. The group was disarmed in April 2006 and its members were scheduled to enter a re-socialization program.
According to the protesters, they have been living in extreme poverty since the disarmament, forcing some of the former fighters to take up criminal activities, including drug trafficking.
According to official sources, 47,000 combatants have been demobilized in the last five years, and among them 860 have been murdered and 3,000 have not followed the program's rules.
Source:Xinhua
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