These Incredible Rare Photos Show Life Inside A FARC Jungle Camp

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The secretive Colombian rebel group known as the FARC have been fighting the government for decades.

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Although the warring factions signed a historic ceasefire last year, the guerrilla fighters still remain armed and living in the jungle.

Photographers were recently granted rare access inside the camp in Antioquia and the stunning photos have revealed what life is really like for the rebels living in the jungle.

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According to the Daily Mail, one of the commanders, known as Yira Castro is a sort of mentor to other women rebels. She has spent much of the last three years at peace talks in Havana.

Other members can be seen butchering a pig that would feed the camp for several days.

Many members join FARC as a result of personal tragedy rather than political ideology. At age 16, Julia – pictured with her partner Alexis – says she was raped by her stepfather and so fled her home.

For some of the FARC soldiers, war is all they know. One of the rebel leaders has been fighting for 25 years and has never even driven a car.

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Juan Pablo, 41, a commander of the 36th Front of the FARC, has spent years plotting ambushes and assembling land mines but has never been to the movies or eaten in a restaurant. His dream is to return to the village he left as a teenager and run for mayor.

There is an incredibly tense atmosphere at the camp. The fighters sleep with their weapons, restrict all conversation at night and use assumed names to protect their identities.

Once-a-day radio contact with other units happens via code, and longer messages are saved to USB drives and transported through a network of human couriers.

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The constant battle between guerrillas, right-wing paramilitaries and the armed forces has left a toll of more than 220,000 dead, 40,000 disappeared, and over 5 million driven from their homes.

The photographs not only give a valuable insight into how these people live, they also provide us with a glimpse of why they choose this life and what they have given up to fight for what they believe in.