Some 15 police officers patrol the urban area of 13,000 residents, and 1,400 soldiers live at a nearby base. Guerrilla informants abound at City Hall, where officials admit that rebel commanders can tell them how to spend city funds. Mayor Omar Garcia said. In February, rebels commandeered three dump trucks, a bulldozer, a loader and a steamroller for two months because they were unhappy with the state of dirt roads in the eastern part of the township. But when the FARC tells them to, everyone comes out of fear.
Violators watch as rebels torch their vehicles.
If I owe you 100,000 pesos and I don't want to pay, they make me pay,'' a local official said. Anyone who has a problem goes and tells it to the guerrillas,'' said Carlos Julio Cardenas, a legal advisor to City Hall and former municipal judge. Rebels also curb cattle rustling, enforce edicts to protect the environment and chase local criminals, cutting down on crime. But Diaz said that given a choice, the townspeople would opt for more self-determination. The mayor of Macarena, Lucio Baquero Mateus, concurred.