MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency
Colombian forces kill FARC top military commander and capture main camp
The number two leader of the Colombian FARC guerrilla group has been killed in a military raid, President Juan Manuel Santos said Thursday. Victor Julio Suarez Rojas, also known as Jorge Briceño Suarez and by his nom de guerre Mono Jojoy, was the military leader for the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia.
Santos called the rebel leader's death a “historic” event. Read full article
Comments
Disclaimer & comment rulesColombia is about the end its long war against terrorism. We celebrate that.
Sep 24th, 2010 - 02:48 am - Link - Report abuse 0Long gone are the days when Venezuela and other “paises hermanos” actively supported the FARC´s and bet on Colombia´s collapse, they even allowed those terrorists to establish camps in their territories. It would interesting to learn whether Ecuador and Venezuela also allowed the FARCs to bring their hostages along in their camps.
Santos is Uribe today just like Uribe was Santos, there is no way around and we are only waiting for Colombia´s “paises hermanos” in south america to start categorizing Santos as a warmonger and right winger again as they did with Uribe, whom they tried to isolate and used as a excuse to refuse to colaborate in Colombia´s struggle against terrorism. Some countries even offered to act as “mediators” between a young democratic and constitutional state and a gang of narco terrorists who kidnapped, assassinated and terrorized Colombian people.
Gone are those clowns who came to Colombia from Swizerland to “help” in the conflict negotiating for hostages, Mr. Jean-Pierre Gontard who actively stabbed in the back the Colombian state and people while passing by a “neutral negotiatior” for peace. Gone are Betancourt´s familly who did not lose a single moment to speak evils about Uribe, to adore and take photos with Mr. Chavez, another ridiculous clown in this saga, long are the many attacks Uribe received during his term, every time he made any progress agains the FARCs he received nothing but condemnation from his “paises hermanos”. Long are the days when Chavez would get the FARCs to free one or two hostages in order to promote his personal image and walk tall around the world. His state television made him the heroe of the conflict.
Many turned their back on Colombia, but Colombia stood the course and has come through successful. The FARCs will not see the light of a new day. Soon they will be eliminated and will be forgotten as all criminals are.
Jose, you seem to have a very good grasp on SA history, and I hope your hopes bear fruit.
Sep 24th, 2010 - 04:32 am - Link - Report abuse 0People are celebrating the death of one of the FARC’s important leaders, and predicting the demise of the guerrilla organization, but they fail to realize that unless the root causes for the formation of these rebel groups are addressed, in due course others may rise to take its place. As long as there is injustice and poverty in Colombia there will be people who will see no other option but to take up arms against a sea of troubles.
Sep 24th, 2010 - 07:14 am - Link - Report abuse 0I can read my colombian friends agreeing with José but also with MrG.
Sep 24th, 2010 - 10:24 am - Link - Report abuse 0Because poverty but more prior political violence.
In other hand, I have a best friend there learning how colombians are coping with development programs and credits, and it is clear that it is a country to learn of.
Presidente Santos has taught in an university specialized in development and is respected as someone who has the big picture in mind.
Hope that some establishment don´t stop attempts to solution what MrG says.
MrG, Pheel
Sep 24th, 2010 - 11:47 am - Link - Report abuse 0I have seen shanty towns outside Madrid and Barcelona and slums in Paris that reminded me of my dear Mexico and other Latin American nations.
Inequality, poverty, ignorance, crime and other evils will beset us forever no matter what nation we live in, or where we choose to go, they are inherent to human societies and although it is true that we will never get rid of those and other evils, none can expect us to sit content with that live miserable lives forever, there will be times when we will need to raise our arms against inequality.
In Mexico we have the EZLN in Chiapas and the Mexican government has engaged them in a continuing dialog that has slowly but peacefully made progresses. Everyone in Mexico recognizes EZLN as a genuine insurgency and we will never allow our government to attack them directly and brutally as Uribe and Santos have done with FARCs, much to the contrary, we in Mexico, conservatives and liberals alike, demand our Mexican state to sit down and engage in constructive conversation with that insurgency, and for a very simple reason: the EZLN has earned Mexican´s respect because they do not resort to kidnapping or criminal activities, to kill or terrorize people of Mexico, they don´t produce or deal with drugs either, they don´t call for violence either, they are a genuine indigenous insurgency challenging the Mexican state and society to put an end to our legendary injustice, poverty and lack of opportunities for our indigenous peoples.
“Colombia is about the end its long war against terrorism. We celebrate that”
Sep 24th, 2010 - 01:35 pm - Link - Report abuse 0Are you aware that over 70% of Colombian murders were executed, not by the FARCs, but by right-wing paramilitary groups linked to narcotrafficking - groups to which the previous government, that of Uribe, turned a bling eye to?
(1) and (5) JoseAngeldeMonterrey
Sep 24th, 2010 - 02:00 pm - Link - Report abuse 0These two messages of you contradict each other in so many ways that they could have been written by two different persons.........
Which one is the good Dr. Jekill?
Think - Perhaps your understanding of English is better than mine, as #1 and #5 seem to be logically together in their meaning.
Sep 24th, 2010 - 03:21 pm - Link - Report abuse 0Poverty and injustice exist all over the world, even in the developed countries and and none of them have crazy people kiling and kidnapping and dealing with narcos, so the explanation is so simple as they are the latest left red heads thaught by Cuban comunist about “the armed fight against the rich people that opressed the poors”. wich have been demostrated that is the worse way to grow and develope a country to give their people a good life.
Sep 24th, 2010 - 03:42 pm - Link - Report abuse 0There are a lot of ways to protest, claim and make present that kind of difference but no the violence and terrorism. No way !!!
None of those problem legitimize the use of violence and terrotism.
Twinky is an Argentine government nark.
Sep 24th, 2010 - 07:19 pm - Link - Report abuse 0When the powers that be ignore the legitimate needs of its people the populace often see no other alternative but to resort to violence, one has only to look at history see examples of this, whether it was the French Revolution, the Russian Revolution, or for the matter, the 1776 American revolt against what was perceived as British oppression. That the plutocracy in Bogotá has failed to address the underlining seeds of the insurgency can be seen by the fact that many of the “new” recruits are, on average, approximately twenty years old (as can be noticed in FARC photos), in other words, the majority of the revels were not even born when the conflict first started back in the 1940s (many historians date the beginning even further back - to the Thousand Days’ War of 1899-1902). True, there are many other parts of the present world where there is poverty and injustice, but I do not agree with the implied message above that there are no revolts taking place. In Mexico they may be negotiating with the EZLN, but all of the corruption and crime taking place can be seen as a type of revolt also, maybe not always a mass revolt, but a revolt nevertheless.
Sep 27th, 2010 - 12:17 am - Link - Report abuse 0There is excitement regarding the victory over the FARC, but as someone above stated, much of the narco traffic and violence is instituted by the right wing paramilitary groups that have the support of the ranchers, the military, and the government; only when they too are effectively controlled can Colombia and the populace have hope of a better future. It is the lost of hope that leads to desperate measures.
Commenting for this story is now closed.
If you have a Facebook account, become a fan and comment on our Facebook Page!