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Schools and Teachers - Targets of War
By Yadira Ferrer
BOGOTA, Jan 20 (IPS) - Some 12,000 children in northern Colombia were unable to begin the
school year Monday due to the intimidation and murders of teachers by irregular armed
groups, and the destruction of schools.
Colombias teachers union, FECODE, said the closure of 125 schools in late December in the
northern department or state of Bol¨ªvar as a result of turf wars between leftist guerrillas
and right-wing paramilitary groups was just one sign of the humanitarian crisis facing the
educational system across this war-torn South American country.
In Bol¨ªvar, where fighting is intense, schools have come to be seen as physical spaces
where guerrillas, paramilitaries and the army carry out political proselytism, based on a
foundation of terror, the technical secretary of FECODEs human rights commission, Fabio
Zapata, told IPS.
Approximate Word count = 709
Approximate Pages = 2.8
(250 words per page double spaced)
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