Lead FARC negotiator Ivan Marquez. Photo: farcpaz-ep.org
FARC’s chief drug trafficker killed
On March 8, Gilberto Becerro, commander of the FARC’s 57th Front, which operates along the Panama border, was killed in an air strike. Becerro was a key commander of the guerrilla group’s drug trafficking activities, and his front is thought to be the richest of all FARC units.
Santos suspends airstrikes against FARC for one month
Barely 24 hours after killing a key FARC commander, President Juan Manuel Santos announced he would suspend all airstrikes against FARC positions for a month. FARC negotiators in Havana responded by saying the President was “trying to silence his violent acts.”
Ceasefire ‘at risk’: FARC
On Thursday, March 19, guerrilla negotiators in Havana said their unilateral ceasefire “is at risk of coming to an end” if the Colombian Army didn’t halt its ground offensive against the rebels.
Gov’t and FARC to work together to demine Colombia
On March 7, both sides announced a commitment to finding and deactivating the anti-personnel mines buried in more than half of Colombia. But on March 22, a spokesman from FARC declared that initially they will work only in the regions where the civil population is affected. They will wait until they close the peace agreement with the Colombian Government to decide what to do in the other areas. (See our feature on pages 12-13)
Look for the latest edition of the Bogota Post throughout the city in the coming days
By Mark Kennedy
