Caught in the crossfire of a 41-year civil war, a Colombian tribe's campaign of peace against violence and drugs is earning praise and seeing success.

Four years ago, the Nasa Tribe started the Indigenous Guards, a force of 7,000 unarmed men and women. The group has forced cocaine traffickers to close their labs, faced down armed death squads and has confronted rebels and government soldiers who try to encroach on their lands.

"We do not want armed groups on our land," Julio Mesa, the Indigenous Guards' leader, tells The New York Times. "So what we do is we get people together and get them out."

In recent weeks, the tribe has been hit by escalating violent rebel attacks. Some children have died amid gunfire but Mesa says the tribe will continue to seek peace.

Get the Story:
Colombia War Spills Into Indians' Peaceful World (The New York Times 5/2)
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