Troops deployed in Colombian capital amid deadly clashes Thursday saw clashes in Bogota and the second city of Medellin, after tens of thousands of people took to the streets to support a 10-day protest by farmers who say government policies are destroying their livelihoods. Police fired tear gas in central Bogota amid a standoff with masked youths hurling rocks and bricks and vandalising businesses. At least two people were reported killed in areas just outside the city, as students and workers from a number of sectors joined farmers in what has swollen into the largest anti-government demonstration in recent years. Some accused security forces of firing on protesters, while others claimed small explosives had been thrown from the ranks of the demonstrators. There were reports that some protesters displayed the banners of the Farc and other leftist groups. In an attempt to suppress the violence, the government announced a curfew in some parts of the city and surrounding areas. On Thursday, Mr Santos acknowledged that a "storm" was battering Colombia's farmers and promised to find solutions. But following the disturbances, he said he had recalled his representatives from talks with protest leaders, and alluded to the involvement of leftist militants intent on stirring up conflict between the government and farmers. "There are groups which are not interested in agreements being made with rural dwellers," the president said.