Colombian Armed Forces commander General Freddy Padilla on Tuesday asked international members of the newly-formed Continental Bolivarian Movement not to act as accomplices of the FARC.
In an open letter, Padilla rejected the content of a letter sent to the socialists by FARC commander ‘Alfonso Cano’, who stressed the “urgent duty” to form an international network to resist the increase of U.S. influence in the region.
Cano’s letter further indicates that the military pact signed by Colombia and the U.S. in early November is not confined solely to the combat of drug trafficking and terrorism, but “seeks to destabilize the processes of democratization and independence taking place in Latin America.”
In response, Padilla reminded the international community that the FARC is guilty of the taking hostage and forced displacement of thousands of Colombians and are the enemy of the poor, despite claiming to defend their interests.
The General asked the Continental Bolivarian Movement to publicly reject Cano’s statement.
“No civilized society in the world accepts the support or recognition of organizations that claim to be a spokesman for the needy while using violent and dehumanizing methods to try to achieve their goals,” Padilla wrote.
The Colombian general quoted the Liberator himself, ending his letter with Simon Bolivar’s statement that “The articles of regulation of war must be respected so that the glory of Colombia is not defiled by blood.”
The Bolivarians seemed unimpressed by Padilla’s words. The group claims Colombia is a “paramilitary state” and vowed to “defend the Venezuelan revolution against imperialist threats.”
