From 3 to 5 November 1998 during the

Colombian conflict The Colombian conflict () began on May 27, 1964, and is a low-intensity asymmetric war between the government of Colombia, far-right paramilitary groups, crime syndicates and far-left guerrilla groups fighting each other to increase their i ...

, rebels belonging to the

Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia – People's Army (, FARC–EP or FARC) was a Marxist–Leninist Guerrilla warfare, guerrilla group involved in the continuing Colombian conflict starting in 1964. The FARC-EP was officially founded in ...

(FARC) laid siege to the Colombian village of

Mitú Mitú () is the capital town of the department of Vaupés in Colombia. It is a small town located in South eastern Colombia in the Amazon Basin. Founded in 1936, Mitú lies next to the Vaupés River at 180 meters above sea level. It is where th ...

Vaupés Department Vaupés () is a departments of Colombia, department of southeastern Colombia in the Amazon rainforest, jungle covered Amazonía Region. It is located in the southeast part of the country, bordering Brazil to the east, the department of Amazonas ...

Attack

On 1 November 1998, left-wing

FARC The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia – People's Army (, FARC–EP or FARC) was a Marxist–Leninist guerrilla group involved in the continuing Colombian conflict starting in 1964. The FARC-EP was officially founded in 1966 from peasan ...

guerillas launched an assault on the village (which is also the regional capital of

), FARC entered the city, taking over the

aerodrome An aerodrome, airfield, or airstrip is a location from which aircraft flight operations take place, regardless of whether they involve air cargo, passengers, or neither, and regardless of whether it is for public or private use. Aerodromes inc ...

as they entered the fortified police station. The police had only 120 officers, making them outnumbered and overwhelmed by the 1,500 FARC militants. Casualties were heavy, and many policemen were taken hostage. Officer recalled seeing 18 of his colleagues being killed by rebels. The entire town fell under FARC control, which tried to cut off all communication with the outside world. Mitú, which is inaccessible to reach by land, had virtually all its communications severed. The last radio message was on 2 PM on 1 November, and only one plane, a Colombian Red Cross aircraft that managed to evacuate 4 injured youths ranging in age from 3 to 20 years old, was allowed to enter the village. On 4 November, Colombian troops sent 500 reinforcements into Mitú, which crossed through Brazilian territory, which Brazil said was an illegal action. Mitú was retaken and over 800 guerillas were estimated to have been killed during the counter-offensive. At least 37 soldiers and police officers were confirmed to have been killed. Other sources estimate that 43 were killed, and the local hospital put the toll at 150. At least 11 civilians, including a 19-year old teenager, were also killed by FARC. After the battle FARC soldiers were also reported to have executed many of the 61 people they had captured, including mayor Luis Peña after he complained about his living conditions. Soldier was not released until 2014, making him FARC's longest-held hostage. Much of Mitú was destroyed during the battle. Historian Harvey F. Kline says that at least 40 buildings, including a

courthouse A courthouse or court house is a structure which houses judicial functions for a governmental entity such as a state, region, province, county, prefecture, regency, or similar governmental unit. A courthouse is home to one or more courtrooms, ...

and a hospital were destroyed by FARC and 200 explosives were detonated. The

United States Department of State The United States Department of State (DOS), or simply the State Department, is an United States federal executive departments, executive department of the U.S. federal government responsible for the country's foreign policy of the United State ...

said that guerillas had destroyed entire

city blocks A city block, residential block, urban block, or simply block is a central element of urban planning and urban design. In a city with a grid system, the block is the smallest group of buildings that is surrounded by streets. City blocks are th ...

, "including private homes, a church, and a school."

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mitú 1998 20th-century mass murder in Colombia 1998 murders in Colombia Attacks on police stations in the 1990s Battles involving Colombia FARC actions Mass murder in 1998 1990s sieges Vaupés Department Attacks on police stations in South America Wartime hospital bombings 1998 building bombings Church bombings School bombings Improvised explosive device bombings in 1998 Building bombings in Colombia Hostage taking in Colombia Attacks on churches in South America Attacks on schools in South America Colombian conflict Terrorist incidents in Colombia in the 1990s November 1998 in South America Attacks on government buildings and structures in Colombia Attacks on schools in 1998