In Colombia, Marxist Rebels Hold the Oil Industry Hostage

From a distance, the muffled sounds of laughter could be heard along with the loud crackle of a microphone. Marxist guerrillas from the National Liberation Army were hosting an event for residents of Noanamá, a village in the rainforest in northwestern Colombia. After updating the audience on the latest developments in peace negotiations with the government, rebels took turns at the mic taunting each other with rhyming ditties that were met with raucous laughter and applause.

Among those trying out their wit that evening was an Afro-Colombian rebel whose nom de guerre is Negro Primero. He joined the group, which is best known by its Spanish initials, ELN, when he was 15 years old, he said, but would not share his current age or where he was from. He did concede that he’d previously been stationed in Arauca, an oil-rich province that’s been the group’s stronghold for the past 35 years. Asked what kept him and his comrades in the bush—more than a year after the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) had agreed to lay down its arms—he responded: “Let me ask you something, my little gringo. What would you do if you were born here, amid this misery and injustice?”