Survivors describe life as captives in Colombia

BOGOTÁ, Colombia — For years, the prisoners lived under thatched-roof huts and ate a diet of plantains and rice.

The bulk of the group was made up of a dozen young Colombian soldiers — army and marine officers — who were captured by rebels during combat. Many of the men had children they had never seen.

Their mentors and teachers were the older captives, the two who arrived a year ago: Gov. Guillermo Gaviria of Antioquia province and former Defense Minister Gilberto Echeverri, who taught English to the younger men.

"We lived having to hide like rats," Sgt. Pedro Guarnizo said.

Abducted July 4, 1997, Guarnizo was held in jungle camps by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, for five years and 10 months. On Monday, he became the only one to escape unscathed from a botched rescue operation that killed the governor, the ex-defense minister and eight of Guarnizo's friends.

Thousands of people waving white handkerchiefs gathered yesterday in Medellín, Colombia, to mourn at the governor's funeral.

In television and radio broadcasts, Guarnizo and an injured survivor painted a picture of a group of men treated badly and fed poorly, who became friends.

"We were with murderers, the worst you can imagine," Guarnizo said. "They were animals. Actually, you can't compare them to animals because animals aren't to blame. There isn't a word to describe it."

Another survivor, Corp. Antenor Hernandez, recalled being tortured with red-hot knives.

They were held in a variety of jungle camps over the years, forced to move frequently and to walk long stretches to reach each new hideout. Once, they were lucky enough to have a soccer field. This last camp in southwest Antioquia was home for the past three months.

Until Monday.

The Colombian government has come under fire for a bungled military operation aimed at rescuing Gaviria and the others. Acting on a tip received a week ago, the Colombian armed forces launched two rapid-response teams to win their freedom. The army's Fourth Brigade sent the battalion Guarnizo once belonged to.

But the military's use of Black Hawk helicopters to reach the remote jungle patch proved a fatal mistake. The governor was giving his daily English class when the telltale sound of the helicopters echoed across the jungle. The captives scrambled to gather their things, thinking they would have to flee to another camp.

But Hernandez said a commander gave the order: Kill the prisoners. When the shooting started, Hernandez and Guarnizo played dead. The governor fell on Hernandez, possibly saving him.

"God, forgive me all the bad things," Guarnizo recalled thinking. The bullets they pumped into Gaviria's body were so close, dust sprayed on Guarnizo as he lay motionless.

"I prayed and prayed and prayed," Guarnizo said, lying on the floor acting out the story. "I tried not to breathe. I stayed still for like five minutes, counted to 100, and lifted my eyes."

The 75 soldiers who rappelled out of helicopters reached the site in 30 to 40 minutes. By the time they arrived, they found carnage and a hastily abandoned rustic camp.

Not a single rebel was killed or captured.

In a communiqué issued hours later, the guerrillas said the prisoners died in combat.

"They cannot say these men died in crossfire," said Guarnizo, now in a military hospital in Bogotá. "No, the guys, the governor, all my friends, Don Gilberto, were massacred — the worst thing I have ever seen in my life."

Guarnizo and Colombia's military brass insist they never fired a single shot. But the operation's poor planning has prompted debate here on whether the government should be risking such dangerous maneuvers.

Vice President Francisco Santos defended the operation, saying the government is obligated to go after rebels wherever they hide.

"The FARC have no sanctuary," Santos said. "We are going to find them in the farthest places, in the deepest jungle."

A statement by the federal prosecutor's office said Echeverri, the former defense minister, died from shots to the head and thorax. An autopsy showed he had lost massive amounts of weight, and although he had a bone protuberance, he did not suffer from cancer as was widely believed.

Echeverri and Gaviria were kidnapped a year ago, while leading a peace march through Antioquia. They knew the risks: The guerrillas had been plucking politicians and other leaders to try to force the government into a prisoner swap.

The FARC has waged war here for 40 years. Many of their members are in prison. And because the government refuses to trade its prisoners for the 70 politicians, police officers and soldiers being held by the FARC, many remain captive for years.

Relatives of the soldiers said the men often wrote home, excited about the jobs the governor and former defense minister had promised the soldiers upon release. The letters said Echeverri was so sick the younger captives had to wash his clothes for him. Despite the cane they made for him, he still needed their help to walk.