FACE

TO FACE WITH THE ENEMY

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A radio feature about the peace process in Colombia

BROADCAST DATE: MARCH 5TH 2016

PRESENTED BY: STINE DE KLAUMAN AS A PART OF THE
KE BLOMSTRM AWARD, WITH HELP FROM LAURENCE
GRISSELL, BBC.
DURATION: 22.17 MIN.
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Resume:
Erick has grown up with bodyguards and a fear of loosing his dad. Through many years his dad has
worked as a military general in the air force being an important part of the civil war of Colombia,
which has lasted for 52 years. Regis is a former FARC soldier. Both aected by the war on each side
of the conict they are now trying to meet.
Dierent governments have tried to obtain peace with the Rebel FARC group and now it seems
closer than ever to succeed. But Ime is running and its dicult to agree on things why the
government has turned its aLenIon to the other guerrilla organisaIon ELN.

Music: Yo Te Lo Dije, J Balvin

SIne:
I love Colombia. I love the way people dont take anything for granted. They enjoy life while they can
because theyve seen how quickly life can end. ATer 5 decades of civil war, theres a peace process taking
place there. But its not going well. Its led to large protests on the streets of Bogota. People accuse the
government of caving in to the demands of the guerillas. So what are the chances for peace?
Im SIne de Klauman and this is Face to Face with the Enemy and Im hoping to get an insight into the
conict in Colombia through the experiences of two men on dierent sides of the war.
One of them is Erick who Ive made with on my many visits to Colombia. Ericks lived his whole life in fear
his dad was a military general ghIng against the guerillas.

Telephone ringing

SIne: Im calling him from my home in Denmark with a proposal but Im not quite sure how hes going to
react.

Telephone conversaIon:
Erick: Hallo
SIne: Hallo Erick. Hola..
Erick: SIne? Hi
SIne: You know actually.. the reason why I wanted to call you is.. I want to make a radio program about the
peace process in Colombia..

SIne: Erick has never been face to face with the rebel FARC group. But thats exactly what I want to ask him
to do. I hope that by bringing together the two opposing sides I can understand some of the obstacles to
peace.

Telephone conversaIon conInued:

SIne: Yeah I would like to make it concrete by telling Ericks story and also a story of an ex-guerrilla. It could
be interesIng for you to meet in a way to make it kind of like a symbol of what the country is going through
at the moment..
Erick: Yeah of course and the guy is not in the guerrilla anymore? For sure.. You let me now what you
need, but I will be here.
SIne: Ok.. perfect.
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Erick: So we will chat soon.

SIne: Erick seems open to the idea, but now I need to convince an ex-guerrilla to meet him. Ive been in
contact with a re-integraIon centre for former FARC soldiers. Theyve said a man called Regis might be
willing to meet but its far from certain. As, I board my plane to Bogota, Ive havent been able to speak
with Regis.

Music: Junto al Amanecer, J Alvarez

SIne: Erick picks me up at the airport. The last Ime there were also four bodyguards. Now his fathers no
longer a military general, Erick has to defend himself. He carries a gun.

Sound of a telephone ringing

SIne: Ericks grandmothers calling. She wants to know if I had a good trip. Yes, I say what I dont tell her I
that I spent the whole ight worrying about whether this plan is going to come together.

Music: Junto al Amanecer, J Alvarez

Historical background: FARC

FARC is the biggest and most inuenIal of the guerrilla groups operaIng in Colombia. Its origins are
communist but now cocaine and kidnappings have made it the richest rebel group in the world and
almost invincible.

Telephone calling Regis (former FARC soldier)

SIne: Im trying to call Regis the former guerrilla to make an appointment. Hes not there - and she cant tell
me when he will be.

In a taxi
SIne : Im on my way to a very dicult place for Erick. I ask the taxi driver what he thinks about the peace
process.
Taxi driving talking
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He tells me everyone wants peace. But unless the government tackles hunger and crime, peace will never
come to Colombia

Music: baila morena, Hector & Tito

The place where Ericks uncle is murdered

Historical background: the paramilitaries
The war in Colombia has lasted 52 years. Its complex with three groups involved. In 2002, Ericks Uncle
was shot not by guerrillas but, the family say, by paramilitaries. Many claim the paramilitaries are on the
side of the government, nanced by the state. The government deny those links

Erick: This is where my uncle was murdered, exactly where we are standing on the 4th of March 2002. I
remember I was in school and I came back from school. I was taking a shower and everybody began
shouIng in the house that there had been an atentado or a murder aLempt. I saw all of a sudden my
uncle on the screen on the news, I could see him on TV. It said atentado, it means somebody had tried to kill
him. And then my dad was on the phone with somebody from Bogot. And then my dad hung up the
phone, he looked at us and he said death has been conrmed. And thats preLy much where my world
and my life collapsed. Two people on a bike came a shot him nine Imes right at the parking spot of his
building.

SIne: Ericks uncle was a well-known businessman, who owned the biggest soccer team in Colombia and
had a lot of poliIcal friends, whom he also helped nancially.

Erick: He knew too much about poliIcians back then.. these poliIcians were going to enter the government
and there best friends were the maa.. he was a disturbance for them, because he knew too much about
them
It lled me with hate and quesIons and it made we want to leave this country it made me not want to
enter my dreams here in poliIcs or anything. I always felt if I forced myself to do a lot of things then in the
end somebody would kill me in the end because they dont like meand it made me really wary of people
and I have started not trusIng anyone here Im really scepIcal about people here, I always meet them and
expect the worst from them.. I remember this as one of the symbols of why I have hated this country so
much for so many years and now Im trying to reconciliate with that hate.

Telephone calling Regis (former FARC soldier)

SIne: Finally, I get in contact with Regis.

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Regis talking

SIne: We agree to meet tomorrow 9 am.

In a taxi
SIne: On the way to meet Regis, the taxi driver tells me the government hasnt done anything to obtain
peace.
Hes heard that the government are killing civilians and blaming it on guerrillas

ACR/ReintegraVon centre
SIne: ATer two hours in trac, I nally get a chance to put my proposal to Erick
He tells me, yes, with honour. The meeIng is set for tomorrow.

At the cemetery
SIne: In the meanIme, Erick and I go to the cemetery where his uncle is buried. He remembers the funeral
clearly and how scared he was his dad would be the next vicIm.

Erick: The guerrilla had a lot of reasons to do something to him because he was preLy much to one who
ordered all the bombings against the guerrilla and they hated the air force.

SIne: But how important was your dad in the air force?
Erick: In the whole military, in the whole armed forces he was number three!

Erick: this is it!

SIne: This is the one?
Erick: This is it.. you see the Santa Fe?

SIne: Finally, we nd the grave.

SIne: There are red and white owers as a symbol of Santa Fe. The soccer team Ericks uncle when he was
sIll a live.
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Erick: He always receives these owers, which have the same colours as Santa Fe, red and white, and we
wrote in the end that Santa Fe would be champions in his name. And in fact Santa Fe became champions
some years ago.. so it was very very sad that my uncle could never see, during the Ime he was owner of
Santa Fe, that Santa Fe became champion..
For me it was a very strange situaIon, because I watched the game from streaming in Germany by myself in
this house completely alone with a bad signal and everything. Santa Fe became a champion and my
reacIon was just to start crying.. I just cried like a hour..
Thats why Im so defensive. Thats why I have become such a scepIcal person of everybody that I meet. I
ask myself what their intensions are.. This thing has eects all over your life and how you look at people and
how you trust people.. I was telling you when he was buried that day.. When I went out of church I saw
reporters and I remember hearing so man things that they talked about because of soccer. And I went up to
one of them and I said you shut your camera or Im gonna shut it for you. And the guy almost got into a
ght with me. I said I was going to kill him and I tried to.. I almost to tried to punch him but then somebody
grabbed me and took me away.. I wanted to kill all of them at that moment all of the reporters.

From Ericks house:

SIne: Later that night we discuss tomorrows meeIng with Regis..
SIne: ..okay.. cause he wants to meet 9.30. Is that okay?
Erick: Where?
SIne: Close to the university.. Rosario..
Erick: Yeah thats ne.
SIne: He is from Cartagena (historic old Ime on Colombias Caribbean coast in the north)
Erick: He is from Cartagena?
SIne: yeah..
Erick: Ahh.. he is a costeo (Spanish: from the coast)
Erick: Is the guy violent?
SIne: I dont think so
Erick: We dont know that..
SIne: I asked him if he had killed somebody.
Erick: What did he say?
SIne: He said no..

From the car on the way to the meeVng

SIne: Its the day of the meeIng.

SIne: So do you already know what you are going to ask the guy.. Regis?
Erick: Things that I will ask him is that how he entered and how he exited the guerrilla. I think thats
absolutely important.
SIne: But cant you understand people entering this organizaIon?
Erick: What do you mean?
SIne: Cant you see that for many people its kind of like a soluIon?
Erick: Killing soldier? Purng bombs? Bombing school?
SIne: Soldiers are killing people as well right?
Erick: Yeah but they dont enter the insItuIon just because they want to kill. I enter as a professional
soldier so I can feed my parents, I can feet my brothers and I can probably become a sergeant, you know, I
can advance and I have prioriIes in life.. And Im and on the legal side, I am working for the state.
SIne: Who decides who is on the legal side?
Erick: The law.

SIne: Were running late I call Regis to ask him to wait

Regis: Give me 15 minutes

SIne: Were due to meet in the Caf de la Plaza

Sound from the street

SIne: We walk fast through the crowded streets

SIne: I hope he is not going to let us down because we are late

Erick: The good thing is that in this country everybody is late..

Sound from the street

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Erick: This is a very famous caf here..

SIne: Its an old one?
Erick: Yeah it has been here for years..
SIne: Oh he is right there. He is at the window.. you can see him.. with a cell phone.. waiIng for us..
Erick. For us! Okay. Excellent..

The meeVng
SIne: The caf is lled with old pictures from Bogota on the dark red wall. Its humming like a beehive
lled friends and business colleagues oblivious to our purpose.

SIne: Hola
Sound from the caf

SIne: Erick and Regis nally come face to face.

SIne: They seem slightly overwhelmed by the situaIon but an easier vibe soon develops.
SIne: Regis says 2002 was a dicult moment for Colombia Regis says. A new president came to power and
polarized the country
Regis was studying and also a social acIvist focusing on displaced people. Thats when he started being
threatened.
SIne: He was given 24 hours to leave his home in Cartagena
His mum saw the leLer and said she preferred a son who was absent than a son who was dead
..a paramilitary had sent him the leLer..
SIne: The same people who killed my uncle Erick says.

SIne: In this conict with many sides, Erick and Regis are both vicIms of the paramilitaries..

SIne: Regis tells us he was in hiding for a week unIl he was contacted by the FARC. They promise to give
him security. Next day, a car arrives to pick him up.
SIne: Regis says it was dicult. He was given orders, someImes he wasnt allowed to talk someImes he
was denied food.
SIne: He wanted to ee. But he was watched constantly.
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SIne: Erick doesnt say anything. He hasnt spoken about his father. It seems hed prefer just to listen for
now.

SIne: Regis says he lost all hope, all his dreams. SomeImes he just wanted to die.
SIne: Then one day, the camp was bombed by the army and Regis seized his moment to ee
18 guerilleros die that day. Regis then tells us a very sad story
Its about a 12-year old boy dying in his arms.
SIne: Later on aTer the meeIng the story about the young boy will take on an even more horrifying
signicance, but for now Regis conInues his story and tells us he nally managed to escape.

SIne: The subject changes and they start to talk about reconciliaIon.
Regis says that out of the many peace processes, this one is the most promising so far.
SIne: Erick seems more gloomy about the prospects for peace. Its an abstract idea he thinks its possible
to reduce the violence but he doesnt believe in the sort peace that Europe society knows.

SIne: Regis says its a long process and history has polluted their minds.
SIne: Yes hate and memories Erick replies. He doesnt know what he would do if he saw his uncles
murderers. Would he turn into a monster or would he just start crying he doesnt know.

The meeIng draws to a close. Its Ime to pay

Music: Yo Te Lo Dije, J Balvin

SIne: For now the peace process with the FARC has stalled over how and when they will disarm. UnIl the
talks restart, the government has turned its aLenIon to the second biggest guerrilla organisaIon, the ELN.

Music: Yo Te Lo Dije, J Balvin

SIne: During the meeIng, Regis did most of the talking Erick was holding back. But at the end, he gives
Regis his business card. A cauIous sign, perhaps, that this might be the start of an ongoing dialogue - the
beginning of an individual peace process between two individuals in this divided society.
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SIne: So how do you think it went?

Erick: Oh very nice.. you saw that I gave him my card.. this means I dont fell absolutely no risk or anything..
he is a very special case because this is a very educated guy who had to go there for fear of being murdered
and for me he embodies this person, this vicIm, of conict.

SIne: But then an indicaIon of why any peace process between two warring sides is fraught and
reconciliaIon can appear so remote..
ATer the two men have gone their separate ways, something terrible occurs to Erick. About the liLle boy
that died in Regis arms.

Erick: this thing with the air force base in Barranquilla.. I lived there.. Im preLy sure that my dad was sIll in
the air force when that bomb went out. This means that my dad must have had something to do with the
orders for those bombs cause my dad was a head of military operaIons of the whole air force.. he was the
one who decided which airplanes bombed what and when..

SIne: And I wonder if when the two men meet again this is something that Erick will share with Regis

Music: Yo Te Lo Dije, J Balvin

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