Ex-FARC leader Jesus Santrich believed killed in Venezuela

A prominent former FARC leader has been killed in a Colombian military operation in Venezuela, his new rebel group said Tuesday.

'Jesus Santrich' had been on the run for three years after abandoning a peace deal he helped negotiate with the Colombian government.

The 2016 accord ended a 52-year guerilla conflict between the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) and the government.

What happened to Jesus Santrich?

A statement by Santrich's new group Segunda Marquetalia said the "truck carrying the commander was attacked with rifle fire and grenades."

It added that the Colombian commandos left in a helicopter after the attack. 

The Segunda Marquetalia is a network of renegade former rebels of the demobilized FARC. 

What did the Colombian government say?

Earlier in the day, Colombian Defense Minister Diego Molano said that an ex-FARC commander was believed to have been killed and intelligence reports indicated that it was Santrich but they were still working to confirm the killing.

"Intelligence information signals that alias Santrich and other criminals were killed in supposed confrontations which took place yesterday in Venezuela," Molano said in a tweet.

"Information being verified. If confirmed, it proves Venezuela harbors narco-criminals."

Bogota accuses Venezuela of harboring dissidents, but President Nicolas Maduro claims his country is a victim of criminals.

Who is Jesus Santrich?

Santrich's birth name was Seuxis Hernandez. He was among the 10 ex-rebels who were given seats in Colombia's Congress when FARC turned into a political party.

He took his seat in June 2019, after being under arrest for over a year on drug trafficking charges.

He then went missing before his scheduled appearance in court. 

In August that year, Santrich released a video with another ex-leader of the former rebel movement, Ivan Marquez, saying that Colombian President Ivan Duque had betrayed the deal and announced they would take up arms again.

Santrich was also wanted in the United States over allegations of drug trafficking.

Last year, the country offered a reward of  $10 million (€8.2 million) for information leading to his arrest or conviction.

dvv/rt (Reuters, dpa)