COLOMBIA: Colombia President Alvaro Uribe's plan to replace civilian leaders with army authorities suffered a legal setback yesterday when the Supreme Court declared the measure unconstitutional.
Over the past two months President Uribe has declared a state of emergency in designated "rehabilitation zones", transferring state authority to army commanders.
The military now control all aspects of daily life, having the right to impose curfews, displace families and prevent journalists and human rights observers from visiting the areas. It has also established a network of informers who receive weekly payments for information on the movements of rebel suspects.
President Uribe said he was determined to ignore the court ruling and declared a "state of internal commotion", which permits the leader to rule by decree.
The court's decision came as FARC rebels launched a fresh rural offensive, killing at least 28 army troops in three separate attacks. It also coincided with the release of a parliamentary report which concluded that right-wing paramilitaries have infiltrated the justice system. One magistrate, forced into exile, uncovered evidence that 120 mobile phones belonging to paramilitary leaders had made repeated calls to 54 members of the judiciary.
Meanwhile, Colombian troops launched their own offensive this week, dropping thousands of leaflets into rebel territory. These featured a scantily-clad model in a provocative pose. The flipside of the leaflet features a false 20,000 peso banknote (about US $10) and a message for rebels to contact their nearest army barracks. "Get your freedom back!" it read, pledging amnesty and immediate social benefits.
Army designers chose the photo from an Internet site after they failed to convince Colombian models to pose for the leaflet.
"At least these helicopters are dropping leaflets and not bombs," said political analyst Mr Javier Guerrero. This latest move follows a failed attempt two years ago to organise a "sex strike" among the partners of rebel leaders. Former army chief Gen Jose Bonnet called on the wives of rebel leaders to withhold sexual pleasure until their men agreed to give up the gun. There were no known desertions from rebel ranks. This year, however, an estimated 1,100 rebels have abandoned the conflict, encouraged by prospects of financial reward.