Colombian politicians reacted positively to the death of FARC leader “Alfonso Cano,” who was killed in a bombing raid on Friday.
Former President Andres Pastrana said that Cano’s death is definitely “a blow, if not fatal, it is the hardest to the FARC.” For Pastrana, Cano’s passing signifies a “point of inflection for the FARC” and that what remains of the group should “seek a path of dialogue.”
Rodrigo Rivera, who as defense minister was in charge of the hunt for Alfonso Cano until his resignation last month said that “as a citizen I feel incredibly proud of the National Army and I am excited like I was a year ago with Operation Sodoma” in which the FARC’s then number two, “Mono Jojoy” was killed.
According to coalition U Party President Juan Lozano, Cano’s death “is the culmination of a journey through past years to restore peace and security to the country.”
From Bogota, the newly-elected mayor and former M-19 guerrilla, Gustavo Petro said, “the death of ‘Alfonso Cano’ shows that it is the politics of love and life that can transform the world and overcome injustices.”
The parting of the FARC commander “will create tension… between ‘Timochenko‘ and ‘Ivan Marquez‘ to determine who will replace Cano as commander of the FARC,” according to political scientist Alejo Vargas.
Also commenting on Cano’s demise, Colombia’s former defense minister and head of the Liberal Party, Rafael Pardo said that “it is news that will help the peace of Colombia.”
According to AP, the death of their leader means that the FARC is losing the organization’s main ideologist.