Controversial former senator and leader of the Broad Front for Peace, Piedad Cordoba, has rejected President Juan Manuel Santos’ decision to resume air strikes against rebel group FARC.
Cordoba voiced her dismay at the perpetuation of violence permitted by Santos in the midst of a bilateral cease-fire, which was violated by the FARC last week.
“The consequences of resuming air strikes are disastrous, as they will lead to massacres. It is to return us to the eye for an eye, tooth for tooth mentality,” said Cordoba according to a report from news website Pulzo.
In relation to Cordoba’s criticism, a recent investigation by the Broad Front for Peace muddied the waters of who was to blame in the attack in Cauca. Investigators reportedly spoke to 300 local residents, whose stories contrasted with a number of details from what was reported by the military. Specifically, eyewitness testimony sharply contradicted reports that military soldiers were defenseless, reported Venezuelan news network TeleSur.
As a result, President Santos has received extensive criticism for resorting to violence before knowing the full story.
“So far, the findings only show that there are several versions of what had happened, and therefore, although early versions point in the direction that the events were a premeditated FARC attack, we still need to look deeper into the investigation to clarify further what happened,” said an investigator from the Broad Front.
In response to the recent revelation of the Broad Front’s investigation, Cordoba opted to defend Santos, insisting that the Colombian people support him in this extremely sensitive and complicated point in the negotiations, as reported by Colombian newspaper Tiempo.
The negotiations in Havana, Cuba are expected to continue despite the recent escalation of the armed conflict. The Broad Front said they will reveal more details of the investigation in coming days as they are collected.
Sources
‘Debemos rodear al Presidente’: Piedad Córdoba El Tiempo
Piedad Córdoba reconoce que las Farc violaron la tregua, pero lo justifica Pulzo
Witnesses Contradict Official Story on Military Clash with FARC TeleSur