FARC commander killed in army bombing raid
NEWS DESK (DİHA) - Operations of the Colombian military forces in an attempt to exterminate the FARC guerrilla forces have increased in the last weeks as clear results could not be achieved from the peace negotiations aiming an end to the armed conflict between FARC and Colombian government.
Alfredo Alarcon Machado, a high ranked commander of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, People´s Army (FARC-EP), known by his nom de guerre Roman Ruiz, has lost his life in an operation launched by the Colombian army. Roman Ruiz was the commander of the northwest bloc of FARC as well as a member of the central military council.
It has been reported that the guerrilla commander Ruiz lost his life during a bombardment in the western Choco region of Colombia. Colombian government had issued an arrest warrant with a reward of 500 thousand Dollars for Roman Ruiz. 4 other FARC members have also been reported to have lost their lives during the bombardment.
Dozens of guerrillas were killed in the operations of the army launched after the Colombian President Juan Manule Santos authorised attacks on FARC despite the ongoing negotiations. 34 guerrillas, excluding those who died in the attack in Choco, lost their lives in the bombardments carried out by the army last week.
As a result of a joint attack of the Air Force, the army and the police carried out at dawn on 21 May against a camp of the 29 Front of the FARC in Guapi (Cauca), according to official sources, 26 guerrilla combatants were killed.
This was followed by announcement by FARC that they have suspended the unilateral and indefinite cease-fire proclaimed on December 20, 2014 as a humanitarian gesture of de-escalation of the conflict. Secretariat of the Central High Command of the FARC stated that the suspension was a consequence of the inconsistency of the Santos government after five months of attacks on the ground and in the air against their structures throughout the Colombian country.
Colombian president Santos, on the other hand, declared that he would not call for a ceasefire until there is a final peace agreement, thus opening the way for a process witnessing a parallel advancement of both peace negotiations and armed conflict.
(nt)
