Andean Group - 8 February 2005

Two major attacks by the Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia (Farc) at the end February have intensified speculation that Colombia's largest rebel group is tired of running from the army and is ready to launch a major offensive against the government.

A twin blow for Uribe
On 1 February the Farc carried out its biggest attack against a military target since President Alvaro Uribe came to power in August 2002 when it attacked a naval infantry base at Iscuandé, in the southwestern department of Nariño. Sixteen soldiers were killed and 25 injured in the assault by the Farc group, Frente 29. The next day, the Farc killed eight soldiers and a civilian when it ambushed a convoy in Putumayo.

Uribe responded to the attacks by blaming the soldiers involved, saying in both instances they were negligent. Survivors from Iscuandé begged to differ, saying that a major attack by the Farc was only a matter of time since the rebels controlled the area. Such comments will have infuriated the president: not only has he stated time and again that the military controls Colombia in its entirety, but Iscuandé in particular has been emblematic of this confidence since security forces returned there in January 2004 after a four-year absence.

The Farc's ability to mount such attacks at a time when there are more troops in Nariño and Putumayo than ever before is deeply worrying for the government. The recent discovery of major arms shipments and caches of explosives indicated the Farc was gearing up to take the fight to the government; the attacks in February suggest their campaign is now underway.