Monica Villegas eyes bear the sorrow sown in peasant communities in the municipality of Ituango, Antioquia, one of the most ravaged by the paramilitaries of Carlos Castano and Salvatore Mancuso. At the same face, her smile keeps the charm attractive young Antiochian.
Eyes smile peace and war
Since the 10 year old wanted to join the FARC and so he made it known to his parents, who tried to discourage telling stories of other families that their children became guerrillas and had not been seen in years, losing them for housework and breaking bonding. “That’s heartbreaking for a mother,” heard say; then he decided to keep secret his desire and not manifestárselo more relatives.
Born in a village in the municipality of Ituango, being very small met the guerrillas. Sporadically they passed through his home, sometimes in large groups and sometimes small but always came by surprise and disappeared as if by magic, what generated curiosity that could not satisfy his young age.
Among them, he was always a boy in the region, the neighborhood, who had gone any given day and then came as big and strong, accompanied by other and with a different behavior of civilians. More serious, discreet, mature and taken into consideration by the inhabitants of the village. But he drew attention to the guerrilla who saw wear uniforms, carry weapons and take on activities and authority as men.
Stealthily talk to older listened quietly, with an air of mystery voice, which will further increased the curiosity. He heard that these young acquaintances were facing in fighting the paramilitaries and the army when they came to the villages to murder good people known in the region, to massacre and drive to keep the land. Again he felt like being a guerrilla.
The desire to join the guerrillas gnawing inside, but I knew it would not receive per child; then he promised that when I turned thirteen would be joining them. After having fulfilled a few months, he spent a commission of guerrillas and when night approached, Monica hid to watch where they would go to join them. When the manager of the commission said that was not received by not old, she lied that she was 15.
It took several days to realize that it was a commission of the ELN and FARC not. He had not imagined what was the daily life of guerrilla life; being still a child, she had great difficulty adapting, why the guerrilla command returned to the house. There, with his mother, he continued to cultivate the dream of belonging to the FARC, but he knew only receive when he turned 15 years. He waited patiently and now a little more mature, to meet them, he joined a committee in who was a relative.
The FARC completed 13 years in which he has had to assume different responsibilities and missions, including combat against the army on many occasions in northern Antioquia. But the day really guerrilla, who invaded the feeling of having achieved their aspirations, even though it was an unconscious impulse was felt when the fight against the paramilitaries in Santa Rita. He felt that he had done justice by their cousins, by parents and brothers and guerrilla fighters whom the paramilitaries killed in massacres; and the death of many poor people in the region.
Like all guerrilla and FARC guerrillas, longs for the Dialogues of Havana will be successful, and is politically preparing to assume new roles that await fighters in a scenario of post agreement. I would devote more time to strengthen the bond with her teenage daughter and dreams of studying medicine, career likes and which has traveled a distance, as it is one of the best educated nurses Block Efrain Guzman.
But as you know it is not easy to agree with the Santos government an agreement that satisfies the aspirations of the most disadvantaged sectors of the nation, it is also prepared to continue to take the confrontation, if he comes to need.
“Thus recrudezca again confrontation, will continue to struggle for a political solution,” he announces peace with his smile and his eyes war.
By Matthias Aldecoa, Peace Delegation FARC-EP
