'Your outboard, your outboard - give it to us now!'
Facing a ring of AK-47s pointed at his head, Alberto Gonzalez hesitated only briefly. With a heavy heart, he led the soldiers to a dark corner of the room. Resignedly, he lifted the pile of fish net, under which he had hidden his hard-earned outboard.
Watching them go, Alberto prayed. He did not complain. He trusted his heavenly Father. He was relieved to be alive, and thankful that his wife and daughter had been spared. A week earlier his uncle had been gunned down in front of his family. Then Alberto's brother had fled into the forest, but soldiers had found and killed him. The soldiers had been merciless and no families had escaped unscathed. Menfolk, particularly, had been led away and few returned. Other outboards, boats and even livestock had been seized. Alberto was thankful he still had his cow, but the community as a whole faced a bleak and uncertain future.
