Colombian rebels fear for safety after they rejoin society
MEDELLIN- When Wilson Lopez lived in the jungle, he thought civilian life in the city meant meeting people, walking the streets, having a job. But the former Colombian guerrilla wasn't able to do any of these things.
Lopez went from a Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia jungle camp to prison and then to the streets of Medellin after receiving a pardon in January. Since then, he hasn't been able to find a steady job or home, and couldn't go for stroll with his family in Medellin after he received death threats from a criminal group that said it didn't want rebels in its territory.
"I am in the mouth of the tiger," said Lopez, who agreed to speak with The Associated Press inside a warehouse in the capital of Colombia's mountainous Antioquia province. He wore a cap pulled low over his face and was accompanied by a friend.
Lopez was one of 30 rebel prisoners pardoned by the government of President Juan Manuel Santos as a confidence-building gesture to advance peace talks with the FARC, as Latin America's last major leftist guerrilla army is known. Lopez's troubles integrating into civilian life highlight the difficulties that some 8,000 FARC guerrillas and 4,000 prisoners will face in rejoining society as part of the historic peace pact ratified by the country's congress on Nov. 30.
