Violence has forced up to 7,000 people in the southern Colombian department of Nariño from their homes over the past two weeks as soldiers battle to retake land from FARC guerillas producing cocaine in the area, officials said. The displacement, which started on March 23 when the military launched an offensive in the area, is one of the biggest in recent years. "People are leaving their homes because they are afraid of getting caught in the confrontations between the FARC and government security forces," Gloria Paredes, human rights ombudsman for the town of El Charco told Reuters. (Reuters, April 4)

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