FARC negotiator killed in bombing raid
NEWS CENTER (DİHA) - Colombia's left-wing FARC guerrilla group says that one of their negotiators at peace talks in Cuba was among 27 rebels killed in a bombing raid last week.
FARC commander Pastor Alape said the guerrilla known as Jairo Martinez had died in the attack in Cauca province. According to the FARC, Jairo Martinez had been on an "educational mission" to tell guerrillas about the peace process.
The FARC and the Colombian government sides are engaged in peace negotiations but have not agreed a ceasefire. Jairo Martinez was a relatively recent addition to the FARC negotiating team, which he joined on 28 February 2014.
The guerrillas said Jairo Martinez was one of 27 guerrillas who died in Gaupi in south-western Cauca province. The FARC also confirmed that the commander of the 14th division of the FARC, Roman Ruiz, was killed in a bombing raid in north-western Choco province on Monday.
There has been a recent escalation of violence on both sides even as the peace talks continue in the Cuban capital, Havana. The escalation was triggered by the resumption of bombing raids on guerrilla positions which had been suspended since March to reward the guerrillas for declaring a unilateral ceasefire.
About 40 FARC guerrillas have been killed since the Colombian forces resumed their raids. Nevertheless, the two sides are continuing to meet in Havana in an attempt to put an end to more than five decades of armed conflict.
An estimated 220,000 people have keen killed during the clashes between FARC and Colombian forces since 1964.
(nt)
