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Violence forces exodus of former FARC guerrillas
BY HECTOR VELASCO (AFP) JUL 20, 2020
Yerlis Ballesteros has been here before, fleeing for her life. The first time she held her mother's hand, but this time she is fleeing with her two children, leaving the mountainous region where she once fought as a guerrilla before opting for a life of peace.
The violence that accompanies drug trafficking in Ituango, in the Colombian northwestern department of Antioquia, has ruined her plans and those of fellow former Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) rebel fighters to settle into a peaceful life.
On Wednesday, 93 ex-rebels and their families began a voyage of no return, leaving Ituango determined to avoid the fate of 12 members of their group who were murdered over the last four years.
"It's the straw that's broken the camel's back. We can't resist any more as they keep killing comrades," said Ballesteros, 32.
FARC rebels fought government forces and right-wing paramilitaries in the region that includes Ituango until a historic peace accord was signed in 2016 that ended half a century of conflict.
More:
http://www.digitaljournal.com/news/world/violence-forces-exodus-of-former-farc-guerrillas/article/575118
