Paramilitary Units Blamed for Deaths

BOGOTA -- Right-wing paramilitary gunmen attacking a traditional leftist guerrilla stronghold have killed 19 civilians in the past two days, a human rights official said Sunday.

Ten people died Friday afternoon in the village of Cano Lapa, 290 miles northeast of Bogota, following clashes between leftist rebels and paramilitary militias, said Jorge Ivan Villamizar, public ombudsman for Norte de Santander state.

Five more were killed in the village of Campo Dos early Saturday, and four others were murdered in the village of Petrolea, according to Army command.

Since May, 152 people have died violently in the region, called Catatumbo. Most were killed by the right-wing militias, who often target civilians they accuse of sympathizing with the guerrillas.

Authorities were unable to recover the bodies of the latest victims because of continuing insecurity in the region -- although an Army base is just 10 miles away, Villamizar said.

``It's very worrying that there can be a massacre so close to an army base where there are 300 troops. In this region, there are massacres almost every week,'' he told The Associated Press.

The oil-rich region straddles the Venezuelan border, making it a key route for gunrunners and drug smugglers. Colombian authorities have little presence in the area, which has recently seen an explosion in the cultivation of coca -- the raw material for cocaine.