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| Ingrid Betancourt’s release compromised after assassination of FARC’s number two |
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| Tuesday, 08 April 2008 | |
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Colombia has been accused of over-stepping the mark. On March 1, they made an armed raid into Ecuadorian territory with helicopters, planes and missiles, killing at least 16 people and then returning to Colombia with bodies and material. The Ecuadorian response, slow at first, was of outrage. They were led by President Hugo Chavez of Venezuela, who, while not affected directly by the raid, has been both vocal in his condemnation and threatening in his actions. What is it all about?  Colombia has had a major security problem for several years. In addition to the country’s problems of corruption, several terrorist groups have consistently wreaked havoc on its attempts at a peaceful climate. The main and best known group is the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), originally formed in protest to conditions set by former governments. Now they are better known for their kidnapping, drug production and sales, and human rights abuses. Because of the geography, the FARC has been difficult to control in areas where it operates. The only conservative government in South America, Colombia is somewhat isolated as a result. In addition, it receives massive support from America, which is very interested in reducing the flow of cocaine and heroin into the US and has been supplying Colombia with arms, money and expertise to fight the FARC in particular. The March 1 raid was, in part, a result of intelligence received from the US. The encampment that was raided by US-backed Colombian soldiers was a few kilometres into Ecuadorian territory, where FARC was operating. The residents were still asleep. Besides the civilians killed, soldiers found, upon landing, that they had killed the FARC second-in-command, Raul Reyes, who was responsible for kidnap negotiations with outside governments. Reyes was apparently in touch with the French government and was on the verge of organising the release of Ingrid Bétancourt, the Colombian-French political hostage kidnapped six years ago. As French Foreign Secretary Bernard Kouchner commented enigmatically to the national radio France Inter, “it is bad news that the man we were talking to, with whom we had contacts, has been killed. Do you see how ugly the world is?” Along with Reyes’ body, computers and papers were discovered which led to a complex backstory. Colombian government sources claim that Venezuela’s Chavez had paid or agreed to pay some $300 million dollars to the FARC, and found evidence that the FARC had been trying to acquire nuclear material to make dirty bombs. The Colombian people are triumphant that their government has successfully ousted a FARC ruling council member, the first time that one has died of anything more serious than old age in 30 years of operation. Soon after, another senior FARC member was killed. His group was surrounded by the Colombian army and he was executed by one of his own men who had become disenchanted. The remainder of the group then surrendered. The temperature of relations in the region has dropped several degrees and Colombia is no longer under threat. But the peace is still fragile. Venezuela was reluctant to agree to a climb down and it is known that the FARC operates on the Venezuelan border with the complicity of the police and therefore the government. And many speculate the motivations of the Ecuadorian government in their relationship with the FARC. Perhaps attention can now turn again to the release of some of the 750 prisoners held for ransom by the FARC, such as Betancourt. The latest reports released -in March from people close to her state that she is gravely ill. Progress must be made quickly in order to save her and her fellow hostages. |
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