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A12 WORLD NEWS
Thursday 9 March 2017

Colombian rebels exchange rifles for rattles amid baby boom

ALBA TOBELLA “It wasn’t seen as viable peace.” The exact number of verse except in all-terrain
Associated Press for us to have children, “I think in some ways these forced abortions is un- vehicles.
LA CARMELITA, Colombia because why is someone children symbolize the known, though it is likely in In Bogota, Diana Rodriguez
(AP) — Amid the makeshift going to have them when hope of a country that the hundreds. Colombia’s and a group of wealthy
tents and communal kitch- there are bullets flying needs peace and reconcil- chief prosecutor said in young women moved by
ens where Colombia’s larg- around?” said Jerly Suarez, iation,” said Carlos Antonio 2015 his office had docu- the tales of guerrilla moms
est rebel army is preparing struggling to provide for
to lay down its weapons, a their children got together
new sound is emerging: the to send backpacks filled
cries of babies. with basic products for
Playpens and strollers rest newborns like soap, diapers
on the bare dirt ground and moisturizing creams.
next to assault rifles. Young “If being a new mom is dif-
mothers change diapers ficult for me, imagine what
while their guerrilla com- it’s like for these women,”
rades carry wood planks said Rodriguez, who gave
across fields of mud. Fa- birth to her daughter three
thers still dressed in fatigues months ago. “If we want to
shake rattles and lift their build peace, we have to
giggling infants playfully all contribute in one way or
into the air. another.”
For decades, the Revo- Some of the guerrilla
lutionary Armed Forces mothers are giving birth in
of Colombia kept such camps, but most at nearby
strict control over its fight- hospitals. In La Carmelita,
ers’ reproductive rights where 500 guerrillas are ex-
that female guerrillas who pected to hand over their
became pregnant were weapons by June 1, wom-
forced to leave newborns FARC rebel couple Jerly Suarez, left, and Vicente Pulecio walk to a cooking class with their en speak of both the ar-
9-month-old son Dainer at a rebel camp in a demobilization zone in La Carmelita, in Colombia’s
with relatives or even abort. southwestern Putumayo state. “It wasn’t seen as viable for us to have children, because why is duous conditions in which
The practice flew in the someone going to have them when there are bullets flying around?” said Suarez, referring to they have begun their new
face of the rebels’ claim the loosening of rules on baring children after the rebel group and the government reached an lives as mothers and their
that by enrolling female agreement to end their armed conflict. hopes for raising children in
warriors they were freeing (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara) a time of peace.
women from traditional Suarez recalled how her
gender roles that restricted 29. She gave birth shortly Lozada, a member of the mented more than 150 young son, Dainer, hot
their choices, and it an- before the FARC began its FARC’s ruling secretariat forced abortions, which he and hungry, cried through-
gered many in this devoutly march to one of the 26 de- who is awaiting a child of identified as “a policy of out the long march to the
Roman Catholic country. mobilization zones. his own with a fellow com- the FARC.” demobilization zone. Reb-
But in the last year, as the Among the 7,000 guerrillas batant. Within the rebel ranks, ma- el mothers carried their
FARC and government gathered at the demobi- During times of war, FARC ternity was always a hot weapon on one shoulder,
reached an agreement to lization zones across the guerrillas trekked for miles topic of discussion. their baby on the other.
end Latin America’s lon- country, 114 women are through jungle terrain, of- “Everyone wanted to have Marlin Velazquez remem-
gest-running armed con- pregnant and 77 babies ten carrying heavy loads. their children,” said Tobias bers following the peace
flict, those stringent battle- have been born recently, Constant confrontation Diaz, a guerrilla-trained dialogues for four years
field rules have loosened. according to the govern- with government soldiers medic with the FARC’s as a sort of countdown to
The result is a veritable baby ment. Dozens of other old- and endless guard duties in southern bloc. motherhood.
boom, which has struck a er children who had been jungle camps made raising Conditions in the demo- “Being a guerrilla and hav-
chord even among urban left with relatives during the children during the conflict bilization zones are none- ing the desire to have a
Colombians far removed conflict have also arrived. difficult, if not impossible. theless challenging: Even child, you say, ‘When will
from the conflict, a few That has injected a sense of Women were given steady in La Carmelita, one of the conflict end, so that
of whom have mobilized optimism into camps where supplies of contraceptives, the more built-up camps, I can create my home,
to transport diapers and war-hardened rebels are and those who did get rebels sleep under plastic have my children?” said
creams to the new moth- beginning their transition to pregnant were presented tarps. There are no proper Velazquez, 20, who gave
ers after seeing images of civilian life. with two options: leave the showers or clinics and a birth in February. “What
sweltering infants on cots in Many are referring to the baby with the family mem- road to the main highway do you want and what are
the rural encampments. babies as the “children of bers or end the pregnancy. is so muddy it is hard to tra- your plans for the future?”q