Three years after the initial peace agreement was signed between the Salvadoran Government and guerrilla insurgents, a divided society has begun to heal.
It presided over elections in which the F.M.L.N., the party of the guerrilla insurgents, participated for the first time as a legitimate political organization.
Both the paramilitaries and guerrilla insurgents have committed atrocities against Colombians and shipped large amounts of cocaine to the United States during an internal war that has lasted decades.
Gaviria, Echeverri and Araújo were killed by shots in the head when Colombian military forces stormed the camps where they were held by guerrilla insurgents.
The Government said this evening that since the offensive began on Tuesday nearly 200 people had been killed, three-quarters of them Tamil guerrilla insurgents.
By the 18th century, Greek bandits turned guerrilla insurgents (known as klephts) became an increasing annoyance to the Ottoman government.
It started as an idealistic peasants' rebellion against their colonial masters, but ended as an unlikely alliance between Mexican ex-royalists and Mexican guerrilla insurgents.
He escalated the war against leftist guerrilla insurgents as a holy war against atheistic forces of evil.
His friend nodded, adding that he had little love for either the Government or the American-backed Islamic guerrilla insurgents.
The principal victims of the military campaign against guerrilla insurgents have been innocent peasants not unlike Juan and his family.