It could be a sandlot soccer field almost anywhere in rural Colombia: flattened earth carved from the jungle with lopsided goalposts made of tree trunks painted the colors of the country’s flag.
But this is no ordinary pick-up game. The players are Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia guerrillas, and in behaving like laid-back, sport-loving youths, they’re taking security risks that would’ve been unthinkable just months ago.
A team of Associated Press journalists recently spent a week with members of the FARC’s southern bloc, one of the rebel army’s oldest and most belligerent fighting units.
As Colombia’s half-century conflict winds down, with the signing of a peace deal close, thousands of FARC rebels are emerging from their hideouts and preparing for a life without arms. Gone are the days when they had to change camp every few days for fear of being stunned in their sleep by bombs falling from the sky. With a cease-fire largely in place, the hundreds of guerrillas belonging to the FARC’s southern bloc have spent much of the past year in semi-permanent camps complete with refrigerators, satellite TV and even regular access to the internet for commanders.
In this Aug. 11, 2016 photo, rebels of the 32nd Front of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, sit in a boat as they patrol the Mecaya river in the southern jungles of Putumayo, Colombia. As the country’s half-century conflict winds down, with the signing of a peace deal perhaps just days away, thousands of FARC rebels are emerging from their hideouts and preparing for a life without arms. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)
“Before, the military situation would have never allowed this,” said Pedro Gutierrez, one of the leaders of the FARC’s 32nd Front.
The “FARC Olympics,” which coincided with the Rio Games, began early in the morning as dozens of guerrillas made their way by motorized longboat through the waterways of southern Colombia to the camp of the 49th Front.
The atmosphere was festive, reminiscent of a 19th century county fair. Female guerrillas, many who entered the ranks as teenagers and know almost nothing about the fast-paced urban culture that awaits them in Colombia’s cities, braided their hair and applied lipstick for the occasion.
From the riverside, a small path festooned with pink and white balloons led to a communal dining area where a hot broth soup awaited. Then the guerrillas swapped their knee-high rubber boots, mandatory in the jungle, for new soccer cleats that many had never worn before. Each front had two five-person teams — one male, one female — and the players took the field wearing bright jerseys in the colors of popular European clubs like Inter Milan and Barcelona as well as the German national squad and local club Atletico Nacional from Medellin.
The play was competitive as a referee kept a close eye on the game clock. The tournament’s winners got a soccer ball. Except for the revolutionary anthems blasting though the loud speakers and the stack of assault rifles behind each bench there was little to remind spectators of the horrors of a war that has left 220,000 Colombians dead and more than 5 million displaced.
In this Aug. 11, 2016 photo, rebels of the the 32nd Front of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia perform folk dances in front of their comrades at their camp in the southern jungles of Putumayo, Colombia. The FARC’s southern bloc, to which the front belongs, is one of the rebel army’s oldest and most belligerent fighting units. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)
In this Aug. 11, 2016 photo, a rebel soldier of the 48th Front of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, poses for a photo with his dog in the southern jungles of Putumayo, Colombia. As the country’s half-century conflict winds down, with the signing of a peace deal with the Government perhaps just days away, thousands of FARC rebels are emerging from their hideouts and preparing for a life without arms. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)
In this Aug. 11, 2016 photo, rebels of the 48th Front of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia walk on a makeshift footbridge in the southern jungles of Putumayo, Colombia. With the peace accords about to be signed between the FARC and the government, gone are the days when they had to change camp every few days for fear of being stunned in their sleep by bombs falling from the skies. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)
In this Aug. 11, 2016 photo, a rebel of the 48th Front of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia follows a mule hauling wood planks to a nearby encampment in the southern jungles of Putumayo, Colombia. The planks will be used to construct a classroom in the camp. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)
In this Aug. 11, 2016 photo, rebels of the 48th Front of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia watch a nightly newscast on a television at their encampment in the southern jungles of Putumayo, Colombia. The semi-permanent camp is equipped with with refrigerators, satellite TV and even regular access to the internet for commanders. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)
In this Aug. 11, 2016 photo, Manuel, a mid-level commander for the 48th Front of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, learns to play his guitar via the internet at a FARC encampment in the southern jungles of Putumayo, Colombia. The camp provides regular access to the internet for commanders. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)
In this Aug. 11, 2016 photo, a rebel soldier of the 48th Front of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, uses a head lamp to for some late-night reading at a FARC encampment in the southern jungles of Putumayo, Colombia. The soldier is reading a compilation of the late guerrilla leader Manuel Marulanda Velez’s diary and correspondence. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)
In this Thursday, Aug. 11, 2016 photo, rebels of the 48th Front of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, wash their clothes and bathe in a creek near their hidden camp in the southern jungles of Putumayo, Colombia. The rebels were getting ready for a set of intramural soccer games named “FARC Olympics,” which were held at the same time as the Rio Games. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)
In this Aug. 11, 2016 photo, lunch for the rebels sits ready on a table at the rebel camp of the 48th Front of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia in the southern jungles of Putumayo, Colombia. The meals consist of dishes filled to the brim with noodles and rice. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)
In this Aug. 11, 2016 photo, rebels of the 48th Front of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, play soccer at their camp in the southern jungles of Putumayo, Colombia. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)
In this Aug. 11, 2016 photo, rebels of the 48th Front of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, play soccer at their camp in the southern jungles of Putumayo, Colombia. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)
In this Aug. 11, 2016 photo, rebels of the 48th Front of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, check-in their weapons before the start of a soccer tournament in the southern jungles of Putumayo, Colombia. The rebels stacked their weapons as revolutionary anthems blasted though loud speakers during the games. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)
In this Aug. 11, 2016 photo, rebels of the 32nd Front of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia pose for a team photo before the start of a soccer match in the southern jungles of Putumayo, Colombia. For the matches each front has two five-person teams, one male, one female. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)
In this Aug. 11, 2016 photo, rebels of the 49th Front of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, celebrate after their team wins the tournament in the southern jungles of Putumayo, Colombia. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)
In this Aug. 11, 2016 photo, rebels of the 32nd Front of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, celebrate after their team wins the tournament in the southern jungles of Putumayo, Colombia. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)
In this Aug. 11, 2016 photo, rebels of the 32nd Front of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, laugh during a break, at their camp in the southern jungles of Putumayo, Colombia. As Colombia’s half-century conflict winds down, with the signing of a peace deal perhaps just days away, thousands of FARC rebels are emerging from their hideouts and preparing for a life without arms. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)
In this Aug. 11, 2016 photo, a rebel soldier of the 49th Front of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, bathes in the Mecaya River in the southern jungles of Putumayo, Colombia. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)
In this Aug. 11, 2016 photo, rebels of the 49th Front of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia have makeup applied by fellow rebels as they prepare to perform in a dance at their encampment in the southern jungles of Putumayo, Colombia. The women danced a Cumbia, a popular dance that was started by the African population on the Caribbean coast of Colombia. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)
In this Aug. 11, 2016 photo, an assault rifle hangs in the tent of the 48th Front of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, in the southern jungles of Putumayo, Colombia. The FARC’s southern bloc is one of the rebel army’s oldest and most belligerent fighting units. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)
In this Aug. 11, 2016 photo, rebels of the 48th Front of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, stand in formation in the southern jungles of Putumayo, Colombia. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)
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