Walking Ghosts: Murder and Guerrilla Politics in Colombia

268 Pages·2003·8.56 MB·English

by  Steven Dudley

WALKING GHOSTS
WALKING GHOSTS
MURDER AND GUERRILLA
POLITICS IN COLOMBIA
STEVEN DUDLEY
ROUTLEDGE
NEW YORK AND LONDON
Published in 2004 by
Routledge
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Published in Great Britain by
Routledge
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Copyright © 2004 by Taylor and Francis Books, Inc.
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Dudley, Steven S.
Walking ghosts: murder and guerilla politics in Colombia/by Steven
Dudley.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 0-415-93303-X (alk. paper)
1. Colombia—Politics and government—1974–2. Uniâon Patriâotica
(Colombia) 3. Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia. 4. Insurgency—
Colombia—History. 5. Political violence—Colombia—History. 6. State-sponsored
terrorism—Colombia—History. I. Title.
F2279 .D83 2004
986.106'35–dc21 2003012445
ISBN 0-203-49956-5 Master e-book ISBN
ISBN 0-203-57518-0 (Adobe eReader Format)
TO MY POLITICAL GODFATHER, ALBERTO
ROJAS PUYO
CONTENTS
Acknowledgments x
Preface xii
Prologue: The Martyrs 1
PART ONE
Chapter 1 Fighting History 15
Chapter 2 The Desert Fox 26
Chapter 3 The Master Plan 37
Chapter 4 Guerrilla Politics 48
Chapter 5 Black Vladimir 55
Chapter 6 Too Much Tic 65
PART TWO
Chapter 7 The “Disposable Ones” 76
Chapter 8 A Moral Victory 88
Chapter 9 The Return of Black Vladimir 99
Chapter 10 The Perestroikas 108
Chapter 11 The House of Castaño 120
Chapter 12 The Suizo 130
PART THREE
Chapter 13 FARC-landia 143
Chapter 14 Justice as a Memory 154
Chapter 15 The Great Escape 166
Chapter 16 Shades of Jaime 179
vi
Chapter 17 Leftovers 189
Notes 199
Index 213
vii
Colombia is 440,000 square miles, roughly three times the size of Iraq and four times the
size of Vietnam. Three vast mountain ranges split the country into several distinct regions
that vary widely in climate, population, and economy. The cattle and coca-growing
Eastern Plains encompasses nearly one-third of the territory but just a small percentage of
Colombia’s forty million residents. The Middle Magdalena Valley is the heart of the
country’s oil industry and holds part of its illegal drug economy. Urabá is known for its
banana plantations and arms and drug trafficking routes. Throughout Colombia,
infrastructure is neglected and roads are in disrepair. Along with the war, these obstacles
make it hard to unify the country.
viii
ix