FARC leader ‘Alfonso Cano’ denies his guerrilla organization funded the
2006 campaign of Ecuadorean President Rafael Correa and says the rocket
launchers that were found in a rebel camp were stolen and not provided
by the Venezuelan military.
In an e-mail interview with Colombian weekly Cambio, the fugitive guerrilla boss said “we haven’t given arms or money to government or organizations of other countries … Why would we have contributed to the election campaign of a person, like the current President Rafael Correa, who we don’t even know?”
In a video, recently released by the Colombian government, FARC commander ‘Mono Jojoy’ confirmed Colombian accusations that the rebels had supported the campaign of the leftist politician. Spanish newspaper El Pais reported two weeks ago Correa received US$400 thousand of the FARC.
‘Cano’ also denied the FARC received rocket launchers from the socialist government of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez. The rebel leader supports the story of Chavez that the rocket launchers weren’t voluntarily given to the FARC, but ended up in rebel hands after fighting at the border.
The interview with Cambio is the first with Colombian media, since Cano assumed the top position in the FARC in May 2008 when founder Manuel Marulanda died.