BOGOTA – The international community yesterday condemned the murder of a Colombian governor in a high-profile abduction that president Alvaro Uribe blamed on rebels resisting his US-backed army offensive.
In the biggest political kidnapping since the conservative Mr Uribe came to power in 2002, Caqueta state governor Luis Cuellar was snatched from his home by armed guerrillas on Monday in a surprise night-time raid.
The politician was found hours later with his throat slashed, authorities said, as government troops pursued the Farc commando group believed responsible for the abduction into the remote jungles in southern Colombia.
The Farc, or Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, has yet to release a statement on the kidnapping. The rebel assault and the way Mr Cuellar was killed shocked Colombians and brought back memories of the bloodier days when guerrilla bombings, kidnappings and massacres made daily headlines.
The kidnapping has raised questions about Mr Uribe’s war against the leftist guerrillas and cocaine traffickers after his military received billions in US aid to finally stamp out Latin America’s oldest surviving insurgency.
Amnesty International, the United Nations and the European Union all condemned the “brutal” killing. “He had his throat cut, they slaughtered him miserably,” Mr Uribe said during a late Tuesday night broadcast.
A staunch Washington ally, Mr Uribe has used billions of dollars in US military aid to send troops out to retake areas once controlled by illegal armed groups. Violence has ebbed as the Farc was driven back into the remote jungles.
The rebels have been weakened by the killing of commanders and steady desertions. In a major defeat, the military last year tricked guerrillas into freeing three American contractors and a French-Colombian politician who were key rebel hostages. But a report by a local group said Uribe’s “democratic security” policy may have peaked last year.
The Farc has returned to guerrilla tactics to avoid full confrontation with troops who are now equipped with better intelligence, helicopter mobility and training. But with 2010 legislative and presidential elections approaching, analysts say the Farc will look to raise its military profile with more high-profile operations, as it has in the past before a vote.
The rebels are still holding 24 police and soldiers for political leverage, some of whom have been in captivity in jungle camps for more than a decade. – (Reuters)