In a public ceremony held in the central plaza of Segovia [7], Antioquia department, representatives of the Colombian government on Dec. 20 formally acknowledged the state's responsibility in the Nov. 11, 1988 massacre [8], in which 43 residents were slain by paramilitary troops who fired indiscriminately as they swept through the town's streets. The ceremony, preceded by a march from the town's cemetery to the central plaza, was overseen by Guillermo Rivera, presidential advisor in human rights, and members of the government's Unit for Victim Reparations [9]. Rivera admitted the massacre had been ordered by local politicians in response to the victory of the leftist Patriotic Union [10] in the town's municipal elections. (El Espectador [11], Bogotá, Dec.. 20)
In a similar ceremony Dec. 5, a delegation from the FARC guerillas, led by commander "Pastor Alape [12]" traveled to Bojayá [13], Chocó, to formally apologize to residents for the May 2, 2002 fire-bombing of the town's church, which killed 79 and left over 100 injured. The fire-bombing came amid a battle in the town between the FARC and paramilitary troops. Some 300 inhabitants had taken refuge in the church during the battle. (Colombia Reports [14], Dec. 7; El Espectador [15], Bogotá, Dec. 6)
