E/CN.4/1995/111 page 9 with an indigenous population, the proliferation of arms, the absence of an effective civilian administration in many areas of the country, some of which suffer from economic backwardness, are also important factors to be taken into account. In addition, the absence of a functioning justice system with its result, impunity, not only impedes bringing the situation under control by punishing those responsible for the abuses but constitutes in itself an important source of violence. The following sections deal with these issues, identified as the main problems affecting the right to life and physical integrity in Colombia. A. Violations of the right to life and freedom from torture in areas of armed conflict 24. Areas of armed conflict continue to be the scenario of large-scale human rights violations and abuses by members of the security forces, paramilitary or "private justice" groups often said to cooperate with them, and the armed insurgent groups. The Special Rapporteurs were informed that, at present, approximately 16,000 guerrillas of the FARC, the ELN and the dissident faction of the EPL still in arms, were active on more than 60 "fronts" in different regions of the country. Armed confrontations are said to be particularly frequent in the departments of Antioquia, Santander, Norte de Santander, César, Bolívar and Meta. In these areas, the armed forces allegedly continue to apply a counterinsurgency strategy based on the concept of "national security", whereby everybody who is known or suspected to be linked with the guerrillas is regarded as an internal enemy. According to the information received, in the areas labelled as "zonas rojas" 9/ (red zones), where the insurgents are active and armed confrontations take place, the security forces view virtually all civilians as collaborators of the subversion, an allegation which was denied by the members of the armed forces met by the Special Rapporteurs. 10/ 25. The category "internal enemy", applied to everyone who is regarded as supporting the guerrilla in one way or another (even if the insurgents use force to obtain, for example, food or money from civilians), is allegedly extended to all those who express dissatisfaction with the political, economic and social situation, particularly in the rural areas. Consequently, leaders and members of trade unions, political opposition parties, human rights organizations, social workers, etc., have been, alongside with peasants, the main victims of human rights violations in areas where there is armed conflict. Similarly, a large number of those who dared to denounce human rights abuses by the security forces have been killed or forced to leave their areas of residence. As a result, witnesses of human rights violations fear for their lives and in many cases prefer to remain silent. 26. Military operations leading to the death of civilians include indiscriminate bombing of civilian settlements and armed incursions into villages during which the victims are said to be killed on the spot or abducted, either to extract information or to use them as guides and for intelligence purposes. Often, the civilians killed during such operations are later presented to the public as guerrillas who died in combat, their corpses being dressed by the soldiers in military clothes, and guns and grenades placed into their hands. The Special Rapporteurs were told that the aim of