For Colombia's mayors, it's a year of living dangerously
Many of the country’s municipal leaders are living under an ultimatum: Resign or die. Sitting around a dusty table in what was once a tourist paradise in Colombia’s coffee country, three of this town’s public officials ponder what it means to be “military targets.” After all, that’s what a letter which arrived three weeks ago from the leftist rebel group, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), declared them. Nearly a year ago, Prado’s mayor, Hebert Humberto Sánchez Cabezas, fled town after receiving a similar death threat. He now governs from Ibagué, about two hours away by car. The three men – José Lizandro Barreto, the public services operator; José Edgar Vasurdo, president of the communal action committee; and Ronald Cardoso, secretary of public works – are all that remains of Prado’s government. Now they, too, fear for their lives. Full Story