Colombia's (Para)military - May 18, 2004
On the 27 of February, 1997, the people of Bijao del Cacarica, a population no longer found in Northeastern Colombia, were invited to a soccer match.
Those who called the match made it clear that attendance was obligatory. There were no posters, nor publicity of any kind because in places like these, of such small size, all that was unnecessary. Word of mouth was sufficient.
One of the teams, the one composed of members Autodefensas Unidas de Colombia (1), was announced in advance as the winner. The other team, the one composed of soldiers from the Colombian Army, searched for some way to exit from its commitment. In the midst of the sepuchral silence provoked by the events of the previous three days, the neighbors gathered, slowly, under the shade of the trees at the town square. Then the teams came out on to the field. Someone asked how to tell the teams apart, since they all wore the same uniform and all had the same ferocious expressions and had identical rifles slung over their shoulders. "You have to look at the patch on the right arm," responded another. "Those that have the patch are AUC. The rest are from the Army."