COLOMBIA’S LEFTIST Farc rebels have vowed to continue their struggle after the death of their commander, Alfonso Cano, in a military operation in south-west Colombia.
“A policy has been laid out and it will continue,” the ruling secretariat of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia said in a statement posted on the internet.
Cano (63) had escaped a morning bombing raid on his camp in Cauca province last Friday, hiding in the jungle-covered mountains for nearly eight hours trying to avoid detection by hundreds of soldiers who descended on the area.
Troops found his thick glasses, ID card, wallet and dentures, evidence that he was near by, according to soldiers who participated in Operation Odyssey. At dusk, Cano emerged from his hideout to try to escape. He was seen by a soldier and shot three times.
The operation had been planned since Cano was named chief commander of the Farc in 2008, on the death of its founder, Manuel Marulanda. With the help of guerrilla deserters, at least eight police agents had infiltrated Cano’s security details and were able to report on his movements. The military knew he had left the Farc stronghold in Tolima province where he normally stayed, and moved into the more accessible mountains of neighbouring Cauca.
The death of Cano, a recalcitrant Marxist, leaves analysts considering the implications. Under Cano, the Farc had reorganised after severe setbacks and returned to the offensive. But Cano had also made overtures on possible peace talks. Any progress will be delayed by his death, though whoever succeeds him will probably toe the same line since Farc decisions are made collectively, according to the political analyst Alejo Vargas.
– ( Guardianservice)