Irreparable loss

This here is Mononguete, Caqueta. This is how it works with the guerrilla. When it is about money or merchandise, they bury the stuff, put in a cache.

It just so happened that a local campesino found the cache with the merchandise: coca.

He took it, sold it and went around just squandering the money he had accidentally come by. He drank, and sung and danced.

As we all know, there is nothing you can hide between heaven and earth. So the guerrilla came to hear that this campesino had found a cache. They went to his house, found him, tied him up and dragged him out. They then took him to the town’s community center, and in front of everyone, they said they were going to kill him.

He was about to be executed, so he asked to be forgiven for what he had done. He said goodbye to his mom and to his wife. He was about 35 years old and had always been a hardworking farmer.

I put myself in the shoes of all those mothers who have lost their children uselessly, almost by mistake. I am a mother myself. I can’t even fathom how it must feel to see your son being killed. It must be so hard! So much pain and suffering.