Rebel blockade in Colombian province

Local officials in the southern Colombian province of Putumayo say people are running out of food and medicine as a result of a rebel blockade of their region.

Guerrillas from the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, the FARC, are preventing people and goods from entering or leaving four areas in Putumayo - the country's main coca-growing region.

The rebels' action is in protest at Plan Colombia, the government's programme to tackle drug production and trafficking, which FARC says will intensify the internal conflict.

Both the rebels and paramilitaries, who are involved in heavy fighting in Putumayo, are believed to draw much of their funding from the illegal drugs trade.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service