When the current president Alvaro Uribe assumed his role as chief executive, 60% of the population of Colombia (40 million) was living in poverty. The country was in a horrid position due to the brutal civil war that has been destroying Colombia for over four decades.

Two years later, the grueling war is now accompanied by an economic catastrophe; a possible deficit of 10% and a public debt of 50% of the GNP is not good news for anybody. Moreover, the government is falling apart, poverty is on the rise, as is illiteracy, high violence and the ever-growing presence of paramilitary groups.

Translation : C. Hancock