Thousands of Colombian civilians living inside a FARC rebel enclave awoke today fearing an army offensive within hours, and a United Nations peace envoy made a last-ditch attempt to resurrect failed peace talks.
As soldiers and tanks massed to sweep into the Switzerland-sized guerrilla zone, some residents fled while others were glued to television sets in dusty restaurants and supply stores watching preparations for the military advance.
The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, known by its Spanish initials FARC, has indicated that it will retreat peacefully from the towns of the largely poor southern Colombian enclave that it has held since the start of now failed peace talks three years ago. The rebels already have started leaving the zone's five dusty towns for the surrounding jungle ahead of a deadline laid down by President Andres Pastrana, who had granted the FARC control of the zone to lure them to talks.
But the negotiations to end a 38-year-old guerrilla war that has claimed 40,000 lives in last 10 years never made much progress and the president declared the talks dead last week.