Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos warned Wednesday that leftist-rebel group FARC has infiltrated social protests, according to a presidential press release.
The head of state said the Colombian government found out about the infiltration using information from intelligence sources, documents taken from computers seized by the Armed Forces and testimony from demobilized fighters.
“We know very well that the strategy of the FARC is to stimulate social protest and infiltrate these protests to cause violence, to cause chaos,” said Santos during the installation of a marine infantry brigade in the violent Nariño department of southwest Colombia.
President Santos implored students and social organizations to work with the authorities and not allow themselves to be manipulated by the FARC. He drew attention to the recent disturbances at the Universidad Distrital in Bogota in which students stole guns from campus security officers. The head of Colombia’s intelligence agency DAS Felipe Munoz had said there were clear indications that the FARC were awaiting orders to instigate violence once the protests began.
“This is what we saw at Universidad Distrital, four hours, the ability that they had to produce potato bombs and everything that was discovered afterwards, clearly shows the manipulation of those who know what they want and what they are looking for,” said the president.
He finished by saying that authorities will do everything in their power to tackle violent protests.
Senator Alexandra Moreno Piraquive said Tuesday that “leaders of subversion” had infiltrated labor protests against petroleum companies, an occurrence that could derail the booming petroleum industry in Colombia.