Women call off Colombia sex ban

The women were praised for tackling crime with "noble weapons"

The girlfriends of gang members in one of Colombia's most violent cities have called off a sex strike aimed at ending a deadly gang feud.

Women in the city of Pereira launched the "cross-legged strike" 10 days ago.

Pereira's security chief hailed the strike as a success, saying the women had shown they could win with what he described as "very noble weapons".

There were some 488 murders reported in Pereira during 2005, with 90% of the dead gang members aged 14 to 25.

Launching the strike, the women vowed to withhold sex until their boyfriends stopped fighting.

"I would prefer him getting angry to having to go and cry at his funeral," one of the strikers said.

The region around Pereira and neighbouring Dosquebradas is said to be one of the most violent in Colombia, with about 97 murders per 100,000 people.

Studies had found that local gang members were drawn to criminality by the desire for status, power and sexual attractiveness, not economic necessity, Colombian radio reports.

There was no immediate indication whether the strike had had any effect on the local murder rate.