0:00:09 > 0:00:11This is one of the most spectacular
0:00:11 > 0:00:13and beautiful countries in the world.
0:00:16 > 0:00:18I'm on a journey around Colombia.
0:00:20 > 0:00:23Just look down there, it's so remote and so rugged.
0:00:24 > 0:00:28For more than 50 years it's been gripped by brutal conflict.
0:00:30 > 0:00:34Incoming, incoming. A war often fuelled by the global drugs trade.
0:00:34 > 0:00:38This is coca, the base for cocaine.
0:00:38 > 0:00:41But now, there's a chance for peace in Colombia.
0:00:46 > 0:00:51We'll be the example for the whole planet.
0:00:51 > 0:00:53So I'm going deep into the jungle...
0:00:53 > 0:00:55Goodness me.
0:00:55 > 0:00:58..to meet the guerrilla army promising to lay down its weapons
0:00:58 > 0:01:00and show remorse for atrocities.
0:01:00 > 0:01:03There must be moments in the conflict
0:01:03 > 0:01:06that keep you awake at night now, surely?
0:01:06 > 0:01:08No. No.
0:01:09 > 0:01:14I'll meet the narco farmers who say they know how to save the country.
0:01:14 > 0:01:19This is one of the largest ever gatherings of coca growers.
0:01:23 > 0:01:28As I try to find out if, finally, peace really can come to Colombia.
0:01:45 > 0:01:49I got off to a good start in the Rosario Islands,
0:01:49 > 0:01:53a stunning archipelago of tropical islands in the north of Colombia.
0:01:53 > 0:01:55Isn't this glorious?
0:01:55 > 0:01:57People don't generally think of Colombia
0:01:57 > 0:02:00as having a Caribbean coastline,
0:02:00 > 0:02:03but it does and it's spectacular.
0:02:06 > 0:02:09Hard to believe that for years, decades,
0:02:09 > 0:02:13Colombia had a reputation as a violent, no-go area.
0:02:13 > 0:02:18This is a country people generally associate with cocaine and conflict,
0:02:18 > 0:02:22but there is so much more to Colombia than that.
0:02:22 > 0:02:25Most of the tourists who come to places like this are Colombian,
0:02:25 > 0:02:27but the rest of the world is starting to wake up
0:02:27 > 0:02:30to the charms of this country.
0:02:30 > 0:02:32Things are changing here.
0:02:35 > 0:02:38The islands are dotted with private holiday homes
0:02:38 > 0:02:41and some exclusive boutique hotels.
0:02:41 > 0:02:45They're a destination of choice for Colombia's elite.
0:02:45 > 0:02:48But they do also offer a glimpse into the country's murky history.
0:02:51 > 0:02:54Many of the houses were owned by drug barons,
0:02:54 > 0:02:56people like Pablo Escobar,
0:02:56 > 0:02:59who was the head of the Medellin cartel.
0:03:05 > 0:03:07This is what drug money can buy you.
0:03:09 > 0:03:14An enormous mansion, a mansion for entertaining, actually.
0:03:14 > 0:03:15That's the thought that strikes me.
0:03:17 > 0:03:22For decades, powerful drug cartels dominated much of this country.
0:03:22 > 0:03:25Fighting the state, the people and each other.
0:03:25 > 0:03:27They killed thousands.
0:03:28 > 0:03:32The drugs trade also helped fuel Colombia's brutal civil conflict,
0:03:32 > 0:03:36a war lasting more than five decades between the government
0:03:36 > 0:03:38and a powerful guerrilla army called the Farc.
0:03:38 > 0:03:40It's all very nice here,
0:03:40 > 0:03:44but for generations much of this country was out of control.
0:03:44 > 0:03:45At one point,
0:03:45 > 0:03:48it looked like Colombia might even become a failed state.
0:04:02 > 0:04:04This is the Colombian mainland.
0:04:04 > 0:04:07We're about to land in the city of Cartagena.
0:04:09 > 0:04:11I'm arriving at a really critical moment
0:04:11 > 0:04:15in the history of this country, a really exciting time.
0:04:15 > 0:04:18There has been conflict in this country for decades,
0:04:18 > 0:04:21terrible conflict, almost a civil war,
0:04:21 > 0:04:25and now, hopefully, finally, that could be coming to an end.
0:04:30 > 0:04:32Could be, but it's not certain.
0:04:32 > 0:04:35If peace comes, it could transform the country.
0:04:35 > 0:04:37Take the travel industry.
0:04:37 > 0:04:39Most people here are local.
0:04:39 > 0:04:42Colombia can make billions more from international tourism.
0:04:42 > 0:04:45I met up with a local tour guide called Lina
0:04:45 > 0:04:48on one of Cartagena's many beaches.
0:04:48 > 0:04:52It's rather lovely here, Lina. This is rather...
0:04:52 > 0:04:53It's rather fun.
0:05:20 > 0:05:23Cartagena played its own role in the peace process.
0:05:40 > 0:05:45Just a few months ago, something monumental happened right here.
0:05:46 > 0:05:49A stage was set up for the president of Colombia
0:05:49 > 0:05:52and the leader of the Farc guerrilla group,
0:05:52 > 0:05:55terrorist organisation as many Colombians would see it,
0:05:55 > 0:06:00for them to sign a peace deal, ending decades of war in Colombia.
0:06:02 > 0:06:05It's been a terrible conflict.
0:06:05 > 0:06:08More than 200,000 people have been killed.
0:06:08 > 0:06:11Millions of Colombians have been displaced from their homes,
0:06:11 > 0:06:14turned into refugees in their own country,
0:06:14 > 0:06:16and it was supposed to end here with a peace deal
0:06:16 > 0:06:19signed by the president and the leader of Farc
0:06:19 > 0:06:22with a pen fashioned from an old bullet.
0:06:24 > 0:06:29It was a historic event and the rest of the world was delighted.
0:06:29 > 0:06:33It seemed the longest-running conflict in the Western hemisphere
0:06:33 > 0:06:35was finally over.
0:06:35 > 0:06:38But in Colombia, the deal was hugely controversial.
0:06:38 > 0:06:43Many thought it was too soft on the Marxist revolutionary group Farc.
0:06:43 > 0:06:48The deal was put to a referendum and the public narrowly voted no.
0:06:50 > 0:06:54After political wrangling, an amended deal was put in place,
0:06:54 > 0:06:57but the vote showed that peace can't be guaranteed,
0:06:57 > 0:06:59even, perhaps especially,
0:06:59 > 0:07:02when so many Colombians have been victims of the war.
0:07:03 > 0:07:07Is it fair to say that almost everybody in this country
0:07:07 > 0:07:09has been touched by the conflict
0:07:09 > 0:07:12that has affected Colombia for decades?
0:07:23 > 0:07:27How are you involved with or affected by the conflict?
0:07:32 > 0:07:34Lina got involved with Farc
0:07:34 > 0:07:37after following in love with a guerrilla fighter.
0:07:38 > 0:07:41But their relationship lasted just two years.
0:07:47 > 0:07:49Do you know what happened to him?
0:08:06 > 0:08:10Lina and her boyfriend had tried to leave the Farc.
0:08:10 > 0:08:14The group's punishment for desertion was often death.
0:08:17 > 0:08:21Lina's partner was one of an estimated 100,000 Colombians
0:08:21 > 0:08:24who have vanished without a trace during the conflict,
0:08:24 > 0:08:28at the hands of the guerrillas, the government, gangs, soldiers,
0:08:28 > 0:08:32the police. The violence here has been extraordinary.
0:08:40 > 0:08:42I travelled to the capital city Bogota.
0:08:54 > 0:08:59Conflict has driven more than seven million Colombians from their homes.
0:08:59 > 0:09:02They've been forced to become refugees within their own country.
0:09:03 > 0:09:06Colombia has more internally displaced people
0:09:06 > 0:09:09than anywhere else in the world.
0:09:09 > 0:09:11Hundreds of thousands have fled from remote rural areas
0:09:11 > 0:09:13to the big cities.
0:09:17 > 0:09:22THEY SPEAK SPANISH
0:09:22 > 0:09:23Simon.
0:09:23 > 0:09:27Luz was forced off her land at the height of the conflict.
0:09:30 > 0:09:33She and her friends are all victims of the war
0:09:33 > 0:09:36and life as a refugee here is a real struggle.
0:09:36 > 0:09:38What are you doing here, ladies?
0:09:49 > 0:09:51SHE SINGS
0:09:57 > 0:10:00You're warming it up there. She's warming it up, I can tell.
0:10:00 > 0:10:02Oh, it's getting louder.
0:10:04 > 0:10:08THEY SING
0:10:18 > 0:10:20They've good lungs on them, I'll tell you.
0:10:53 > 0:10:55Success.
0:10:55 > 0:10:58A lot of people have come to the windows actually and smiled
0:10:58 > 0:11:01and said, "Sorry, we haven't got any at the moment," but...
0:11:01 > 0:11:05you can see this is a community that feels a connection with them
0:11:05 > 0:11:07and they have a connection with the community.
0:11:15 > 0:11:17Baby clothes.
0:11:19 > 0:11:20There's always need for those.
0:11:23 > 0:11:25Look at that.
0:11:25 > 0:11:27Whoa!
0:11:27 > 0:11:30Tiny! Are you happy with that, Luz?
0:11:37 > 0:11:41Luz and her friends use these donations to clothe their families.
0:11:44 > 0:11:47What they don't need they sell to help other victims of the conflict
0:11:47 > 0:11:49who are still arriving in the capital.
0:11:51 > 0:11:54Can you actually make a living from selling on the clothes?
0:12:38 > 0:12:41Luz originally comes from one of the poorest
0:12:41 > 0:12:43and most remote regions of the country.
0:12:45 > 0:12:47Luz, how do you come to be in Bogota?
0:14:38 > 0:14:39Who did this?
0:15:02 > 0:15:04Thank you so much for meeting with us
0:15:04 > 0:15:09and for sharing such a very difficult story with us.
0:15:09 > 0:15:11What you've been through is utterly horrific.
0:15:13 > 0:15:15You've suffered so much.
0:15:15 > 0:15:19Are you for or against the peace deal?
0:15:29 > 0:15:30Are you hopeful for the future?
0:15:54 > 0:15:56It was humbling meeting Luz.
0:15:56 > 0:15:59Like so many of those who have suffered the most here,
0:15:59 > 0:16:01she supports reconciliation,
0:16:01 > 0:16:04even with the group said to be responsible for her suffering.
0:16:07 > 0:16:09It was time for me to meet the Farc.
0:16:09 > 0:16:11I travelled south.
0:16:12 > 0:16:17Colombia is a vast country, the size of Spain and France combined.
0:16:17 > 0:16:20Huge areas are covered by mountains, forest and jungle.
0:16:21 > 0:16:23We really are in the middle of nowhere out here.
0:16:23 > 0:16:27For decades there has been very little Colombian government involvement
0:16:27 > 0:16:30or even interest in areas like this,
0:16:30 > 0:16:33and that's created a vacuum which the Farc has filled.
0:16:37 > 0:16:41Farc was formed in the 1960s to battle for the rural poor.
0:16:42 > 0:16:44At the time, life here was medieval,
0:16:44 > 0:16:47with poor farmers treated as little more than serfs
0:16:47 > 0:16:51by a small number of brutal, wealthy landowners.
0:16:51 > 0:16:52Farc captured huge swathes of Colombia
0:16:52 > 0:16:55and became the effective government,
0:16:55 > 0:16:57building basic roads, schools and hospitals.
0:16:58 > 0:17:02I was heading to one of the last Farc jungle camps.
0:17:02 > 0:17:05I think we're just approaching the small village now
0:17:05 > 0:17:08where we're going to meet up with some people from the Farc
0:17:08 > 0:17:11and they're going to take us from here to the camp.
0:17:11 > 0:17:13Over decades,
0:17:13 > 0:17:16Farc mutated from freedom fighters into an often criminal army
0:17:16 > 0:17:20funded by cocaine, extortion and hundreds of kidnappings.
0:17:31 > 0:17:34Hundreds of thousands of Colombians were caught up in fighting between
0:17:34 > 0:17:39Farc and the Colombian Army, which also committed appalling atrocities,
0:17:39 > 0:17:41including the mass killing of innocent civilians.
0:17:47 > 0:17:49There's a motorcyclist up ahead of us
0:17:49 > 0:17:52and we're following him to the Farc camp.
0:18:06 > 0:18:10The camp? Here we are, this is it. Look.
0:18:11 > 0:18:13This is it.
0:18:25 > 0:18:27Bloody hell.
0:18:27 > 0:18:30This is it. The Farc camp.
0:18:41 > 0:18:43As part of the peace process,
0:18:43 > 0:18:46Farc has agreed to demobilise and give up its weapons,
0:18:46 > 0:18:48but these guerrillas were still well armed.
0:18:55 > 0:18:59We have to remember that thousands of people were taken captive
0:18:59 > 0:19:05and held hostage by the Farc, many of them in places like this.
0:19:05 > 0:19:07One of the most famous, or infamous,
0:19:07 > 0:19:12captives describes how she was held for six years in this area
0:19:12 > 0:19:15and she spent much of that time chained...
0:19:15 > 0:19:18to a tree with a metal ring around her neck.
0:19:22 > 0:19:24So, perhaps, that helps explain why I, for one,
0:19:24 > 0:19:26feel a little bit funny and apprehensive about being here.
0:19:31 > 0:19:34During the worst period of conflict in Colombia,
0:19:34 > 0:19:38someone was being kidnapped on average every eight hours.
0:19:38 > 0:19:40At times, more than a thousand people were being held
0:19:40 > 0:19:42by different armed groups.
0:19:42 > 0:19:45Thankfully, Farc's now halted ransom kidnappings.
0:19:48 > 0:19:51I'd been promised a chance to meet a Farc commander...
0:19:51 > 0:19:55but after a 12-hour journey, it was time to bed down for the night.
0:20:08 > 0:20:12It turned out I was meeting one of the most senior leaders of Farc.
0:20:13 > 0:20:17A man involved with peace negotiations at the highest level.
0:20:20 > 0:20:25Mauricio Jaramillo is known as El Medico, or The Doctor.
0:20:25 > 0:20:28The peace agreement between the state and Farc
0:20:28 > 0:20:30is complicated and controversial.
0:20:30 > 0:20:33In return for laying down weapons,
0:20:33 > 0:20:37Farc commanders like The Doctor could be allowed to enter politics,
0:20:37 > 0:20:41but first, commanders thought to have been responsible for atrocities
0:20:41 > 0:20:43will need to testify before a special court.
0:20:45 > 0:20:46If they confess their crimes
0:20:46 > 0:20:49they won't have to serve prison sentences.
0:20:50 > 0:20:56As part of the peace process, as an organisation and as individuals,
0:20:56 > 0:21:00you're going to have to atone for crimes.
0:21:01 > 0:21:04What did Farc get wrong, what's the worst things that you've done?
0:21:24 > 0:21:26That's very open of you.
0:21:26 > 0:21:28And what about you personally?
0:21:29 > 0:21:31What will you need to atone for?
0:21:31 > 0:21:34What are the worst things that you've done
0:21:34 > 0:21:36or ordered to be done during this struggle?
0:22:04 > 0:22:08There must be moments in the conflict
0:22:08 > 0:22:10where you've ordered something to happen
0:22:10 > 0:22:13that keeps you awake at night now, surely?
0:22:15 > 0:22:18No. No.
0:23:19 > 0:23:21You're taking off in a helicopter?
0:23:22 > 0:23:24Where are you going?
0:23:26 > 0:23:27Commander, gracias.
0:23:28 > 0:23:31I'd been warned he might need to leave.
0:23:31 > 0:23:33The peace process was fragile,
0:23:33 > 0:23:36and it turned out The Doctor was being taken for more secret talks
0:23:36 > 0:23:38with other Farc commanders and the government.
0:23:40 > 0:23:43Commander, can we just...? Sorry.
0:23:43 > 0:23:47What would you say, what happens...?
0:23:47 > 0:23:49What happens if the peace process fails?
0:23:52 > 0:23:53Will Farc go back to war?
0:24:35 > 0:24:38Ending a conflict can require tricky compromises.
0:24:38 > 0:24:41This man was seen as the leader of a terrorist group.
0:24:41 > 0:24:43Now, as part of the peace deal,
0:24:43 > 0:24:47Farc will be given ten seats in the Colombian Congress.
0:24:47 > 0:24:49The Doctor could one day be in government.
0:24:55 > 0:25:00It's less clear what will happen to the thousands of Farc guerrillas.
0:25:00 > 0:25:01Many grew up in the group
0:25:01 > 0:25:05and have known nothing but jungle warfare their entire adult lives.
0:25:05 > 0:25:06They'll need jobs,
0:25:06 > 0:25:09and the government has promised land reforms,
0:25:09 > 0:25:12in which many displaced Colombians and the rural poor
0:25:12 > 0:25:14will be given land they can farm.
0:25:14 > 0:25:17These guerrillas hope they'll also benefit.
0:25:17 > 0:25:18What's going on here?
0:26:05 > 0:26:08Farc has done terrible things.
0:26:08 > 0:26:11But many of these guerrillas originally joined to battle
0:26:11 > 0:26:14for land rights for poor rural farmers.
0:26:15 > 0:26:19Land and the ownership of it is central to the conflict in Colombia.
0:26:21 > 0:26:24This is a country where a few ludicrously wealthy families
0:26:24 > 0:26:26have always owned most of the best farmland.
0:26:29 > 0:26:30For all their sins,
0:26:30 > 0:26:33Farc has insisted the situation has to change.
0:26:35 > 0:26:36We want peace.
0:26:38 > 0:26:40Let us hope they find it, eh?
0:26:56 > 0:26:58At the height of the conflict,
0:26:58 > 0:27:01Farc was one of the richest guerrilla armies in the world,
0:27:01 > 0:27:03for one very key reason.
0:27:09 > 0:27:13Look at this. We just stopped at the side of the road,
0:27:13 > 0:27:16I really wanted to show you this.
0:27:16 > 0:27:19If there's anything that's at the root
0:27:19 > 0:27:23of most of Colombia's problems, it's this.
0:27:23 > 0:27:25This harmless looking plant.
0:27:25 > 0:27:30This is coca, the base for cocaine.
0:27:31 > 0:27:32For years now,
0:27:32 > 0:27:38Farc has controlled most of the best land in this country
0:27:38 > 0:27:39for growing coca.
0:27:39 > 0:27:42It has helped to finance the conflict.
0:27:43 > 0:27:45As part of the peace process,
0:27:45 > 0:27:50Farc have promised they are going to completely withdraw from the drugs trade.
0:27:50 > 0:27:52But the risk, of course, is that as they withdraw,
0:27:52 > 0:27:54that creates a vacuum,
0:27:54 > 0:27:58and incredibly violent drugs gangs will then seek to try
0:27:58 > 0:28:01and take over and control the land,
0:28:01 > 0:28:05the areas of this country that were previously controlled by the Farc.
0:28:09 > 0:28:13Colombia is the biggest producer of cocaine in the world.
0:28:13 > 0:28:16It is a trade worth billions every year.
0:28:17 > 0:28:21I drove west to Buenaventura, on Colombia's Pacific coast.
0:28:21 > 0:28:25It's a major port, and a hub for drug smuggling to the US.
0:28:29 > 0:28:33It's not just the left-wing Farc that's made money from drugs
0:28:33 > 0:28:35or kidnapped and killed.
0:28:35 > 0:28:39Other armed groups are also to blame for the state of Colombia.
0:28:42 > 0:28:44Here in Buenaventura,
0:28:44 > 0:28:47it has been right-wing paramilitary groups and criminal gangs.
0:28:48 > 0:28:52The paramilitaries have been central to Colombia's Civil War.
0:28:59 > 0:29:03So, there are areas of this city that it's not advised to visit
0:29:03 > 0:29:05without some serious armed support.
0:29:17 > 0:29:22This city used to be a battleground between the left-wing Farc guerrilla
0:29:22 > 0:29:27or terrorist group, and right-wing paramilitary groups.
0:29:28 > 0:29:31The paramilitary groups now seem to have driven the guerrillas
0:29:31 > 0:29:33out of the town. In the process,
0:29:33 > 0:29:37they have committed some of the most extraordinary acts of violence
0:29:37 > 0:29:39this country's seen.
0:29:39 > 0:29:44Colombia's right-wing paramilitary groups emerged as an opposition to
0:29:44 > 0:29:46the left-wing Farc.
0:29:46 > 0:29:49They were funded by wealthy businessmen, landowners,
0:29:49 > 0:29:52even international corporations, and had close ties to the army,
0:29:52 > 0:29:54politicians and the drug cartels.
0:29:57 > 0:30:00The paramilitaries killed anyone fighting for the rights of rural peasants,
0:30:00 > 0:30:05including trade unionists and human rights workers.
0:30:05 > 0:30:07Just to be absolutely clear,
0:30:07 > 0:30:10studies have shown the right-wing paramilitary groups
0:30:10 > 0:30:11killed many more people than Farc.
0:30:13 > 0:30:1620-year-old Christian grew up in Buenaventura
0:30:16 > 0:30:17and witnessed the violence.
0:30:26 > 0:30:28What is a chop house?
0:30:47 > 0:30:50Can you describe to us what was here?
0:31:20 > 0:31:22Who was doing this?
0:31:42 > 0:31:46Cristian, what on earth was it like to hear those sounds at night?
0:32:10 > 0:32:13Cristian, this looks like a very poor area.
0:32:13 > 0:32:16Do people here feel forgotten? Do they feel ignored?
0:32:36 > 0:32:40Cristian now helps young people at risk of recruitment by gangs
0:32:40 > 0:32:44through a charity called Foundation Pro-Peace.
0:32:46 > 0:32:48Cristian, thank you so very much.
0:32:52 > 0:32:54Good luck, all right? We wish you all the very best for the future.
0:33:04 > 0:33:09Many of the right-wing paramilitary groups have mutated into criminal gangs.
0:33:09 > 0:33:12They are now a major source of human rights abuses
0:33:12 > 0:33:14and violence across Colombia.
0:33:14 > 0:33:16Fighting over drugs, land,
0:33:16 > 0:33:20and another massive source of illegal revenue - gold.
0:33:22 > 0:33:23Gracias.
0:33:30 > 0:33:32I was off on a mission with the Colombian Army.
0:34:07 > 0:34:09Just look down there. It's so remote and so rugged.
0:34:09 > 0:34:14It's incredibly hard for the authorities to control these areas
0:34:14 > 0:34:16of the country and operate in.
0:34:18 > 0:34:22I want to know, how serious a problem is illegal gold mining?
0:34:36 > 0:34:40The army formed this anti-illegal gold mining brigade
0:34:40 > 0:34:42to tackle what's been called a national emergency.
0:34:44 > 0:34:49There are an estimated 17,000 illegal gold mines across Colombia,
0:34:49 > 0:34:52controlled by armed groups that are believed to earn nearly
0:34:52 > 0:34:55£2 billion a year from the trade.
0:34:58 > 0:35:00Colonel Luque's squad was on a mission
0:35:00 > 0:35:01to destroy an illegal mining complex
0:35:01 > 0:35:04in a remote region near the Caribbean coast.
0:35:17 > 0:35:19They've come in with their weapons ready cos they're not sure what
0:35:19 > 0:35:22sort of reaction they're going to get from the people who are mining
0:35:22 > 0:35:24or the gangs controlling them. I'm going to go with them now.
0:35:41 > 0:35:45There was no sign of the armed gangs that run the mine,
0:35:45 > 0:35:48but the soldiers had nabbed some local men working at the site.
0:35:53 > 0:35:55Colonel, who are these people?
0:36:04 > 0:36:06The miners pollute rivers
0:36:06 > 0:36:08with mercury they used to extract the gold
0:36:08 > 0:36:10and clear huge areas of forest.
0:36:11 > 0:36:13Illegal gold mining is actually one of
0:36:13 > 0:36:16the main drivers of deforestation in Colombia.
0:36:22 > 0:36:25Colonel Luque and his men move fast
0:36:25 > 0:36:27before there's any chance of a counterattack.
0:36:36 > 0:36:38Gracias.
0:36:41 > 0:36:42They're asking us to clear the area
0:36:42 > 0:36:44because they're going to blow up the equipment.
0:36:46 > 0:36:49Apparently the reason they need to blow them up is because
0:36:49 > 0:36:51if they try to take these diggers out the armed gangs who have
0:36:51 > 0:36:54owned them up to now could fight them to take them back.
0:37:00 > 0:37:02HE SPEAKS SPANISH
0:37:07 > 0:37:09Bloody hell!
0:37:11 > 0:37:12Incoming, incoming.
0:37:15 > 0:37:16Bloody hell!
0:37:16 > 0:37:19A huge bit of the digger flew into the air
0:37:19 > 0:37:21and landed just 20 feet from us, I would say.
0:37:23 > 0:37:27Around 80% of gold production in Colombia is illegal.
0:37:28 > 0:37:31It's a growing problem across South America.
0:37:31 > 0:37:34There are thought to be perhaps 50,000 people working
0:37:34 > 0:37:36on illegal mines in Colombia
0:37:36 > 0:37:40and more than 70,000 in the Brazilian Amazon.
0:37:40 > 0:37:44The gangs behind this are fantastically rich
0:37:44 > 0:37:46and fantastically dangerous.
0:37:47 > 0:37:49They have enormous resources.
0:37:49 > 0:37:54They can move an expensive pump, very expensive diggers,
0:37:54 > 0:37:58into the middle of nowhere and strip it bare,
0:37:58 > 0:38:01and they will battle and fight to protect that.
0:38:05 > 0:38:09The problems facing Colombia can sometimes feel overwhelming.
0:38:10 > 0:38:14Drugs, conflict, guerrillas, gangs, even illegal gold mining.
0:38:25 > 0:38:28But there are not just hopeful signs here,
0:38:28 > 0:38:30there's proof that change is possible.
0:38:35 > 0:38:37I was heading to the city of Medellin.
0:38:41 > 0:38:44It was once one of the most notorious cities in the world.
0:38:46 > 0:38:49But it's gone through a miraculous transformation.
0:38:50 > 0:38:55Two decades ago, drugs, violence and crime were out of control here.
0:38:55 > 0:38:58There were more than 6,000 murders a year
0:38:58 > 0:39:01as Pablo Escobar and his Medellin Cartel
0:39:01 > 0:39:03waged war against the government.
0:39:06 > 0:39:11Medellin used to be one of the most dangerous cities in the world,
0:39:11 > 0:39:14but it's since been completely transformed.
0:39:14 > 0:39:17I'm off to meet the man who saved the city.
0:39:27 > 0:39:30You cannot imagine how this was
0:39:30 > 0:39:32before we came in to do all these things.
0:39:32 > 0:39:35What was this like before you transformed it?
0:39:35 > 0:39:41From there up all the way north, basically,
0:39:41 > 0:39:44it was a city where people would never come.
0:39:45 > 0:39:47HE SPEAKS SPANISH
0:39:49 > 0:39:54Sergio Fajardo was the mayor of Medellin who transformed this place.
0:39:54 > 0:39:55He's now a bit of a celebrity.
0:40:00 > 0:40:03He was taking me to see one of his proudest achievements.
0:40:06 > 0:40:10We're entering a huge queue and we're entering a queue
0:40:10 > 0:40:14for one of their former mayor's signature projects,
0:40:14 > 0:40:17which has changed the lives of an extraordinary number of people here,
0:40:17 > 0:40:19and it is cable cars!
0:40:21 > 0:40:24When Medellin's cable car system opened,
0:40:24 > 0:40:28it connected the most violent hilltop slums to the city centre,
0:40:28 > 0:40:34giving the poorest access to jobs, health care, education, opportunity.
0:40:34 > 0:40:38People from the south part would never dare to come here,
0:40:38 > 0:40:41would never worry about what is happening in here.
0:40:41 > 0:40:44People, saw many killings around here,
0:40:44 > 0:40:48so we build the new spaces where people could get together without fear,
0:40:48 > 0:40:51so we were connected in the city.
0:40:51 > 0:40:54This is still informal housing, I think.
0:40:54 > 0:40:58You can see here bits of housing stuck on top of bits of housing.
0:40:58 > 0:41:01This was a very violent and impoverished
0:41:01 > 0:41:04and unemployed area of the city.
0:41:04 > 0:41:07Right. We approached things in a completely different way.
0:41:12 > 0:41:15The cable cars were just the most visible part of his plan.
0:41:17 > 0:41:19We have social interventions on the ground.
0:41:19 > 0:41:21Internship centre, the park,
0:41:21 > 0:41:24the school, another school that we build new.
0:41:24 > 0:41:27The health centre, the housing offices.
0:41:27 > 0:41:30All the programmes that we have, social programmes, cultural.
0:41:30 > 0:41:33That's what we did and we put them simultaneously.
0:41:33 > 0:41:35You took the state to the people.
0:41:35 > 0:41:38Definitely, but that's very difficult to do.
0:41:40 > 0:41:44Medellin's transformation seems nothing short of miraculous.
0:41:46 > 0:41:50In the past 20 years, murders are down more than 90%,
0:41:50 > 0:41:52poverty by more than 60%.
0:41:53 > 0:41:55Buenas tardes. Como estan?
0:41:57 > 0:41:59And that's mainly from investing in poor areas,
0:41:59 > 0:42:01rather than heavy-handed security.
0:42:03 > 0:42:06What can the rest of the country learn from what you did here?
0:42:07 > 0:42:13People are not asking for favours, they are asking for opportunities.
0:42:13 > 0:42:17They don't want to receive, but to be developed themselves.
0:42:17 > 0:42:20That's what it means to be empowered.
0:42:20 > 0:42:22Empowering the community is the challenge.
0:42:22 > 0:42:26When that happens, extraordinary things can happen.
0:42:28 > 0:42:30There's a lot of challenges facing the country.
0:42:30 > 0:42:34But at the same time, if we remove these things,
0:42:34 > 0:42:38can you imagine what can happen in this country?
0:42:38 > 0:42:43We will be the example for the whole planet.
0:42:48 > 0:42:51What's particularly impressive about the transformation here
0:42:51 > 0:42:54is that it started from the idea of giving the best
0:42:54 > 0:42:59and the most beautiful buildings and facilities to the poorest.
0:42:59 > 0:43:03It's completely counterintuitive compared to what most cities do.
0:43:03 > 0:43:06MUSIC: Crioula by Daude
0:43:16 > 0:43:21Not long ago, night-time in Medellin often meant sirens and gunfire.
0:43:23 > 0:43:26Now it's one of the most exciting cities in South America.
0:43:29 > 0:43:33I headed for a place that shows it's not just peace that's possible,
0:43:33 > 0:43:35but reconciliation.
0:43:35 > 0:43:37It's one of the swankiest restaurants in town.
0:43:38 > 0:43:41El Cielo is run by Juan Manuel Barrientos.
0:43:45 > 0:43:48Congratulations. You have one of the best restaurants in Latin America.
0:43:48 > 0:43:52- Thank you very much. - And you've been rather successful.
0:43:52 > 0:43:53Thank God, yeah. Yeah.
0:44:04 > 0:44:08So, you have got people from basically all sides of the conflict
0:44:08 > 0:44:13working here together in harmony, creating beautiful food.
0:44:14 > 0:44:16- Can we meet some of them? - Yeah, of course.
0:44:22 > 0:44:25Flipping heck! There's some serious cheffing going on here.
0:44:32 > 0:44:36This is beautiful work you're doing here,
0:44:36 > 0:44:37how did you come to be here?
0:44:51 > 0:44:54Romero works alongside Nora,
0:44:54 > 0:44:56a former Farc guerrilla,
0:44:56 > 0:45:00and Edison, who used to belong to a right-wing paramilitary group.
0:45:02 > 0:45:06Edison? Mucho gusto. Simon. Nora?
0:45:06 > 0:45:08Mucho gusto.
0:45:08 > 0:45:09Simon.
0:45:09 > 0:45:13It's wonderful to see the three of you working together.
0:45:13 > 0:45:20Has it been difficult for the three of you to bond together as a team?
0:45:35 > 0:45:39What can Colombia learn from the fact that three of you are able to
0:45:39 > 0:45:43not just work together, but clearly have a bond together?
0:46:03 > 0:46:06We have a former soldier, a former paramilitary,
0:46:06 > 0:46:08a former member of Farc.
0:46:08 > 0:46:10Is this the future of Colombia?
0:46:27 > 0:46:29Can there be peace in Colombia?
0:46:29 > 0:46:31Will there be peace in Colombia?
0:46:41 > 0:46:43Thank you very much indeed, mate.
0:46:43 > 0:46:46It's lovely to hear. Gracias, Nora.
0:46:46 > 0:46:49Gracias. Gracias, Edison.
0:46:49 > 0:46:52Thank you very much indeed.
0:46:52 > 0:46:54It's nine o'clock on a Saturday evening.
0:46:54 > 0:46:57We're in one of the finest restaurants in Latin America.
0:46:57 > 0:47:01Do you think there's any chance I can have a little bit of the food?
0:47:08 > 0:47:09OK, where to start?
0:47:09 > 0:47:12I'm going to go straight into the meat.
0:47:12 > 0:47:15It just falls apart. This is fantastic.
0:47:19 > 0:47:21This isn't good, this is incredible.
0:47:24 > 0:47:26Which wine should I drink first?
0:47:26 > 0:47:28I think I'll go for the red.
0:47:28 > 0:47:29Thank you so much.
0:47:29 > 0:47:33- You're welcome.- This is very good.
0:47:35 > 0:47:39I'm sorry that you're not able to share this with me, Jonathan,
0:47:39 > 0:47:42but we'll get out for a pizza later.
0:48:06 > 0:48:08It's one thing to transform a city,
0:48:08 > 0:48:13but most of Colombia's problems are in the countryside.
0:48:13 > 0:48:17And fixing things in rural areas is much harder than fixing a city.
0:48:21 > 0:48:22This is pretty bumpy.
0:48:24 > 0:48:28Just 15% of the country's roads are tarmacked,
0:48:28 > 0:48:30leaving rural Columbians isolated
0:48:30 > 0:48:32and often at the mercy of armed groups.
0:48:39 > 0:48:42OK, I think we're finally here.
0:48:42 > 0:48:45I was travelling with Laura Gomez from Oxfam
0:48:45 > 0:48:48who's an expert on life in rural Colombia.
0:48:50 > 0:48:53Laura was taking me to meet a farmer who's experienced many of
0:48:53 > 0:48:56the challenges of country life at first-hand.
0:48:56 > 0:48:58THEY SPEAK SPANISH
0:49:06 > 0:49:09Thank you very much indeed for having us.
0:49:15 > 0:49:18Denio has a small farm in the mountains of Cauca.
0:49:29 > 0:49:31Oh, wow, it's here.
0:49:33 > 0:49:36So, these are little coca plants here.
0:49:38 > 0:49:40Why do you grow coca?
0:49:55 > 0:50:00What would you say to people who say this plant brings nothing but misery
0:50:00 > 0:50:05to Colombia and to countries between here
0:50:05 > 0:50:07and the users in America and Europe?
0:50:36 > 0:50:39Are you saying then that because of the lack of infrastructure here
0:50:39 > 0:50:41means that people grow coca?
0:51:08 > 0:51:10Coca flourishes in this climate.
0:51:10 > 0:51:13It's one of the easiest crops to grow here.
0:51:13 > 0:51:17But Denio got tired of the violence associated with cocaine
0:51:17 > 0:51:20and his wife persuaded him to switch to an alternative crop.
0:52:13 > 0:52:16Wow! This deliciousness is what we call cocoa.
0:52:17 > 0:52:19This is the base for chocolate.
0:52:20 > 0:52:23And flippin' heck, even like this it's amazing.
0:52:25 > 0:52:27The bounty of Colombia, eh?
0:52:30 > 0:52:33Weaning the country off coca and cocaine is vital
0:52:33 > 0:52:36if peace is to come to Colombia.
0:52:36 > 0:52:38The government has pledged £270 million
0:52:38 > 0:52:42to help farmers like Denio switch to legal crops.
0:52:43 > 0:52:46But it's not just about money,
0:52:46 > 0:52:49the huge problems in the countryside go back decades.
0:52:51 > 0:52:54What are the challenges that people face living out here?
0:53:50 > 0:53:53What happens here if the government doesn't help the rural poor?
0:54:06 > 0:54:08So, it's in places like this that
0:54:08 > 0:54:11the future of this stunning country will be decided.
0:54:12 > 0:54:17Rural poverty and inequality was the cause of conflict in Colombia.
0:54:17 > 0:54:19For decades, people in the countryside have said
0:54:19 > 0:54:22they needed medical centres, schools, roads
0:54:22 > 0:54:24and the government has ignored them.
0:54:24 > 0:54:26Now, this has to be addressed.
0:54:39 > 0:54:41We just jumped out of the vehicles
0:54:41 > 0:54:45because there's a demonstration up ahead that I think we should see.
0:54:51 > 0:54:53Looks like things might get a little bit ugly.
0:55:11 > 0:55:13So, this is a quite extraordinary event.
0:55:13 > 0:55:18This is one of the largest ever gatherings of coca growers.
0:55:18 > 0:55:19The base for cocaine.
0:55:26 > 0:55:29And they are demonstrating and protesting, from what I can tell,
0:55:29 > 0:55:33about the need for them to be given alternatives to coca growing.
0:55:37 > 0:55:39Until recently, the government here dealt with
0:55:39 > 0:55:43the problem of coca growing by forcibly eradicating crops
0:55:43 > 0:55:45with chemicals sprayed from the air.
0:55:45 > 0:55:47In the peace deal,
0:55:47 > 0:55:49the state promised to help farmers transition to legal crops
0:55:49 > 0:55:53like coffee or bananas, but all's not going to plan.
0:55:56 > 0:55:59Why are you here? What do you want?
0:56:48 > 0:56:51For lasting peace, poor farmers will need decent land,
0:56:51 > 0:56:53advice and infrastructure like roads,
0:56:53 > 0:56:56so that they can grow and sell legal crops.
0:56:56 > 0:56:57Look at this. Look back.
0:56:57 > 0:56:59We're not even at the front of it.
0:56:59 > 0:57:01There are thousands and thousands of people here.
0:57:01 > 0:57:05I'm amazed by the size of this march, this demo.
0:57:05 > 0:57:08And it's actually one of the most hopeful things I've seen
0:57:08 > 0:57:10during my entire time in this country.
0:57:10 > 0:57:13These are people who are doing something really illegal,
0:57:13 > 0:57:14who are saying,
0:57:14 > 0:57:16"If we can have alternatives and opportunities,
0:57:16 > 0:57:19"then we could see an end to the cocaine trade."
0:57:25 > 0:57:27Colombia is now at a critical point.
0:57:27 > 0:57:32A third of all peace agreements breakdown in less than five years.
0:57:32 > 0:57:35Those that succeed address the root causes of conflict,
0:57:35 > 0:57:39and that is what Colombia must surely do now.
0:57:39 > 0:57:43Colombia has a really positive, hopeful future.
0:57:43 > 0:57:47But it will take the government tackling the elites here,
0:57:47 > 0:57:50the wealthiest in the country, who own the best agricultural land,
0:57:50 > 0:57:55and have kept the campesinos and the peasants down for so long.
0:57:55 > 0:57:57That has to change.
0:57:57 > 0:58:01If it doesn't, there will never be peace in this country.
0:58:01 > 0:58:04If it does change, I think peace will come to Colombia.