Sniper assassinates ex-FARC leader who signed peace accords

A FARC leader who accepted a peace deal with the guerrillas that was dissolved in 2016 has been assassinated by a sniper in southern Colombia.

With the assassination of Ronald Rojas, he wrote, “the appalling number of assassinated peace signatories has been reached at 333, most of which occurred in the duke’s government.” TwitterRodrigo Londono, President of the Communes Party.

Rojas, who was known as Ramiro Duran during his tenure as head of the FARC’s Southern Bloc, was 41 and was attacked by a sniper who shot him twice in the chest on Monday in a rural area of ​​the city of Neiva. Power in a statement.

Before surrendering his arms in 2017, he was politically responsible for one of America’s most powerful guerrilla structures.

After signing the peace, he joined the monitoring commission for the signed treaties, which included Colombian officials.

From that organization he condemned “targeted attacks” against ex-guerrilla fighters and their former collaborators in the south of the country.

In April 2021, Rojas resigned from the Communist Party due to disagreements with the leadership.

He is “a leader committed to territory, dialogue and the process of reconstruction,” the UN in Colombia said. Carlos Ruiz Macieu, head of the mission, recalled on Twitter, “stressing the need to strengthen the protection of ex-combatants and leaders. Peace”.

Peace treaty

Although the peace accord has reduced political violence, the country still deals with armed groups that profit from drug trafficking and other illegal income in former areas of influence of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia.

Hundreds of former guerrillas who were part of the deal have been killed by armed dissidents, drug-trafficking gangs and members of the general forces, the prosecutor’s office said.

With the assassination of Ronald Rojas (Ramiro Duran), the appalling figure of 333 peace signatories was reached, most of them in the Duque’s government.

Guarantees for the life and physical integrity of those who lay down arms are urgently needed to embrace the dream of peace. pic.twitter.com/13J6JyVQh9

– Rodrigo Londono (@TimoComunes) July 5, 2022

It is with pain and anger that we report the killing of Ronald Rojas, a co-signatory of the peace accord known as Ramiro Duran in the FARC-EP. We demand that the Colombian government led by Ivan Duque clarify these actions, especially who is issuing these orders. pic.twitter.com/EhmJMvil5X

— Commons 🌹 (@ComunesCoL) July 5, 2022