Guerrillas blamed for Colombia massacres

Colombia has suffered decades of factional violence

Twenty two people have been killed in a series of execution-style massacres in Colombia over the weekend, say police.

The first took place in the early hours of Sunday, when about 150 heavily armed men shot dead 10 people in Cienega, on Colombia's Caribbean coast.

Twelve people were also killed overnight in separate, similar attacks in three towns near the Pacific port of Buenaventura.

Authorities say the attacks bear all the hallmarks of right-wing guerrilla groups, who reportedly earlier warned they would take action against "suspected left-wing rebel collaborators".

Police said armed men had stormed into several houses in Cienega, pulling victims from their beds before shooting them.

Organised attack

"Carrying a list of names, the armed gang raided a populated area, and grabbed victims from their houses," said local police commander Herman Bonilla.

Mr Bonilla said police were now investigating the murders, but declined to ascribe them to any one group.

Right-wing guerrillas, organised under an umbrella body known as the United Self-defence Forces of Colombia, have been fighting Marxist guerrillas for more than 30 years.

Civilians are often caught up in factional violence, which has claimed more than 35,000 lives in the last decade alone.

The massacres also come days before US President Bill Clinton's visit to Colombia, where he is expected to promise further financial assistance for the country's ongoing anti-drugs campaign.

However, some observers say more aid could escalate the fighting between the government forces supported by right-wing guerrillas, and left-wing forces who have strong links to the cocaine trade.