Rebel-militia clashes kill 37 in Colombia

             BOGOTA, Colombia -- (AFP) -- Clashes between left-wing rebels and
             right-wing paramilitary units have left 37 dead in northern Colombia, a military
             official said Saturday.

             Col. Nicolas Jara, commander of a battalion near the area, said residents of the
             town of Montecristo reported that rebels from a faction of the National Liberation
             Army used civilians as human shields to defend themselves against paramilitary
             units.

             Several reports confirmed that three days of bitter clashes left 30 leftist rebels and
             seven right-wing militia members dead, Jara said.

             Jara said his troops were unable to reach the town because access routes were
             mined, but he was awaiting air support to assess the situation.

             According to Jara, the conflict between the two groups is a dispute over which
             one will gain control of the southern region of Bolivar state.

             There ``could easily be 500 men in the area fighting and for that I need a good
             combat unit,'' he said in a Radionet broadcast in Bogota.

             In Montecristo, center of the violent clashes, there has been no military or political
             presence to maintain order for some time.

             ``Rebels are in control there, having forced the mayor and other municipal
             authorities from their positions,'' Jara said.