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Colombian Conflict

In the world, there are a lot of different conflicts. These conflicts are usually caused from different attitudes, beliefs, values or needs, etc. The Colombian conflict is also one of these conflicts which take place in South America.

This conflict all started  40 years ago in Colombia because like so much of Latin America, there were  huge gaps between a very small amount of rich people who led government and the rest of the people being very poor people. These poor people were desperate for change in the system. Some people thought if they over through the government, may be they wouldn't be so poor anymore.

Because of the influence of communism which took place in Latin America. Colombia's poor or the campesinos started rebel groups trying to put in a communist one, one that they believed would help the campesinos. The two strongest groups of rebels that formed were the revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), and the National Liberation Army (ELN).

Because of the cause there was a great need for money to finance the war. They started to kidnap, and extort money from the wealthy Colombians. The wealthy Colombians formed paramilitarie groups to fight with FARC and ELN because they were sick and tired of the problems.

Colombia has good environment to grow the coca plant. As you can see in the map Colombia has coasts on both the Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea. It is also has the Andes Mountains running through this country which is a great place to grow the coca plant. The tropical climate has allowed Colombia to produces 80 % of the world's cocaine. The Campesinos can make more in one day working on a coca farm than they would if they worked on a coffee or fruit farm in an entire month. Because there is so much money to be made form the drug trade the FARC and ELN are strongly involved in this.

This has caused many people to die because the FARC and ELN are fighting against the paramilitaries and the government. The camopesinos are caught in the middle. For example, if the FARC and ELN discover that the cmpesinos have been helping the Paramilitaries by giving them food or information, they are often killed and vise versa.

Now the America government has stepped in this conflict because they don't want to allow this drug trade plus they don't want Colombia to become a communist country. So they are giving tied aid to the Colombian government and most of this aid is used to buy weapons for the wars and only one percent of this US money goes toward Colombia's social programs. Also the European Union wants to solve this conflict having peace talks, but have had very little success.

At the moment the wealthy Colombian say they feel safer but it has come at a huge price because so many lives have been taken.  Still now fifty percent of the world kidnappings take place in Colombia, making it the kidnapping capital of the world with over three thousand a year.

I think this conflict all stared from the gap between the wealthy and the poor. The poor being in great need to change and the wealthy trying to keep their wealth. In my opinion, even if the fighting stops and a communist government is formed, there still will be the rich and the poor because I think it is very hard to divide the nations' wealth. So will this problem ever be solved??

http://www.ctic.purdue.edu/KYW/Brochures/ManageConflict.html

http://www.madre.org/articles/lac/colombiabasics.html