Colombian rebels murder teacher in 'act of madness'

Marxist guerrillas in Colombia murdered a young teacher in the north-western town of Cocorna, six days after they kidnapped her and demanded her father kill one of their paramilitary enemies.

Ana Cecilia Duque, 31, was found dead by the side of a road on Saturday with a bullet wound to the back of the head. The nature of the killing has stunned Colombians and provoked a furious denunciation of the rebels from the President, Alvaro Uribe, who called the killing an act of madness.

Hostage taking and murders have been rife in Colombia for almost four decades, as left-wing guerrillas of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc) and the smaller National Liberation Army (ELN) have fought right-wing paramilitary factions and government forces. Thousands of people have died in the fighting and there were at least 3,000 kidnappings last year.

Teachers, who tend to be middle class and work in isolated areas, seem to be a common target for rebels. The slaying of Ms Duque has been denounced by the government for its particular cruelty. Typically, rebels kidnap for ransom money. But this time they wanted the death of a man known as Matute, an alleged paramilitary warlord whose armed followers they claimed Ms Duque had contacted. The teacher and a colleague were walking to school in a rural area near Cocorna on Monday last week when they were captured, allegedly by members of the ELN. The group released the other teacher at once and told her to deliver a letter to Ms Duque's father.

The note gave the woman's father, Gabriel Villages, two days to locate the warlord and kill him. "We will exchange your daughter's life for Matute's. If you kill Matute, we'll free your daughter safe and sound," the letter said. "It's the only option you have."

Mr Villages refused to comply. A second letter was found with the victim, which she had written to her daughter aged 10, who read portions of it on Colombian television yesterday. "I miss you and I need you more than ever. I want to be by your side and for us never to be separated because you're my reason for living," the girl said, reading her mother's words.

Among those who criticised the killing was Eduardo Cifuentes, the government's human rights ombudsman. "We demand the National Liberation Army make amends and that it hand the teacher's murderers over to the authorities as well as anyone else behind this act," he said.

Mr Cifuentes said the teacher's death was especially cruel because even ELN leaders being held in prison had instructed the kidnappers to spare her.

The tragedy offers a propaganda opportunity for the government and is likely to harden attitudes against the ELN and Farc. Both groups have become enmeshed in the drug trade and kidnapping as they struggle to fund themselves. Recent surveys have put their public support among ordinary Colombians at about 5 per cent.

Mr Uribe, who took office in August last year, has adopted a hardline stance against the rebel groups and recently turned down an offer from them for peace negotiations. He has received increasing support from the US and he is expected to meet George Bush in Washington on Wednesday.

Farc guerrillas are holding hostage hundreds of Colombian citizens as well as about 80 soldiers and politicians and three American civilian defence department contractors.