Colombia’s armed forces will continue to combat the country’s largest rebel group FARC “with all force” until the guerrillas to use acts of terrorism, President Juan Manuel Santos said Monday.
“Let it be clear. While the FARC persist in terorrism, we will fight them with all corresponding force,” Santos told press at the presidential palace in Bogota.
In earlier statements, Santos left the door open for peace talks on the condition the FARC seize terrorist activities like the planting of landmines, bombing public buildings and the kidnapping of civilians.
The Marxist FARC rebels have been fighting the Colombian State since 1964 demanding socio-economies changes. To fund their war, the guerrillas are involved in the drug trade and extortion. Following U.S. financial and military assistance since the beginning of this century and under the Presidency of former President Alvaro Uribe, the FARC was pushed away from economically important areas and the number of kidnapping committed by guerrillas went down drastically. The FARC remain highly active in remote areas of Colombia.