Defense Minister of ColombiaDiego Molano, reported this Wednesday on the “alleged death” of the dissident chief of the dissolved guerrilla group of the FARCalias “Gentil Duarte”, in clashes with “drug trafficker” gangs in Venezuela.
“Intelligence information from Colombia reveals the alleged death of alias “Gentil Duarte” in the state of Zulia in Venezuela due to a confrontation between (…) drug trafficking and terrorist groups,” said the minister diego molano in a statement to the media.
Miguel Botache Santillana, known as “Gentil Duarte”, participated in the peace talks between the government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC, Marxists) in Havanabut he was one of the first guerrilla leaders to take up arms after the signing of the agreement in 2016.
Since then, the 59-year-old rebel has led a dissident faction known as the South-East Bloc, which according to independent reports has a strength of some 1,700 fighters, mainly operating the border and the Amazon Colombian.
According to the newspaper Time, which cites intelligence sources from both countries, Duarte died in early May from an explosion in his jungle camp, located near the municipality of Casigua del Cubo, about eight kilometers from the border line. For information on his whereabouts, the government offered a reward of up to one million dollars.
The South-Eastern Bloc disputes drug trafficking routes with another dissident faction of the FARC known as Second Marquetalia and with the ELN, the last recognized guerrilla in the country.
“This is one more proof, if this fact is confirmed, that the Maduro regime protects terrorist groups and drug traffickers on its soil,” Molano launched, adding that Duarte fled to that country harassed by the persecution of the Colombian army.
Caracas has repeatedly denied the government’s accusations of Ivan Duke about the alleged refuge it provides to Colombian armed groups and has not referred to the alleged death of Botache.
In December, “El Paisa” and “Romaña”, two of the main leaders of the Second Marquetaliafell at the hands of gunmen in Venezuela. Jesus Santrichanother rebel leader who departed from the peace agreement, would also have fallen on Venezuelan soil in May 2021, although his death was not officially confirmed.
Without a unified command, the dissidences add up to some 5,200 militants distributed in different regions of the country, according to the NGO Indepazand are financed mainly from drug trafficking and the illegal exploitation of gold and other minerals.
The majority (85%) are new recruits who were never in the defunct rebel organization, according to the same source.