The tunnel had several exits but the guerrillas used an opening placed halfway down in a well.

The night silence was broken occasionally by the piercing sound of a ape the guerrillas use to guard the encampment.

But the guerrillas used their new dominion to store arms, plan military offensives and grow coca.

Her hair was a tangled mess as she finally stumbled on to the path the guerrillas had used.

The guerrilla, in contrast, used the area to strengthen militarily as a base for their illegal drug trade expansion and to gain international support.

The guerrillas are also "increasingly using civilians as shields," the spokeswoman said.

But there is already growing evidence that the guerrillas are using the remote, permeable borders of Colombia's neighbors to wage their war.

The Government and the army are convinced that the guerrillas were using the talks to prepare for their military offensive.

"The guerrillas used them more than they protected them," said Msgr.

The attacks follow repeated warnings by Pretoria in recent months to neighboring countries that allow guerrillas to use their territories.