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The government of Hugo Chávez has provided economic, political and military support to the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC-EP), a Colombian guerrilla group classified as a terrorist organization by the United States and the European Union. The support of Colombian leftist guerrillas has continued during the government of Nicolás Maduro. By 2018, the investigative group InSight Crime reported that the National Liberation Army (Spanish: Ejército de Liberación Nacional) operated in at least 12 of Venezuela's 23 states. The Venezuelan NGO Fundación Redes (Fundaredes) in 2018 documented more than 250 reports of Venezuelans who were victims of recruitment by Colombian irregular groups. Recruitment has also been denounced by Colombian media.
Hugo Chávez administration
The government of Hugo Chávez has provided economic, political and military support to the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC-EP), a Colombian guerrilla group classified as a terrorist organization by the United States and the European Union. The Colombian Army's military intelligence has intercepted FARC-EP communications in which they use the nickname El amigo (The friend) to refer to Hugo Chávez.[1] The Chávez government did not consider the FARC-EP as terrorists and requested a belligerent status for said group and that they be excluded from the lists of terrorist organizations of the American governments and the European Union. He also said that the FARC-EP has a "Bolivarian political project" which in his opinion is respected in Venezuela.[1] President of the European Commission José Manuel Barroso rejected this proposal and reaffirmed the European Community's position regarding the FARC-EP's terrorist designation.[2]
The government of Álvaro Uribe accused the FARC-EP were accused of having camps on Venezuelan territory. According to the Colombian government, they used the area as a refuge from attacks by the Colombian security forces to resupply, recuperate and hold hostages. Venezuelan journalists Marianella Salazar, Ibéyise Pacheco, Marta Colomina and Patricia Poleo presented a video of a meeting between the Venezuelan army and the FARC-EP in June 2000. The chief general of the Armed Forces, Lucas Rincón, affirmed that the recording showed only a "humanitarian" mission of the Army.[3] According to the Spanish newspaper El País, they also used Venezuela for arms and drug trafficking. On 16 December 2007, journalist John Carlin published an article in the newspaper in which, mentioning four FARC-EP deserters identified only by their names, stated that there were FARC-EP camps in that country and that they are allowed by the government of President Chávez. Quoting intelligence sources and diplomats from different countries, he also mentioned that many guerrillas, such as Rodrigo Granda, had illegally acquired Venezuelan citizenship.[4]
The evidence about the FARC-EP presence that has had more impact includes satellite photographs and intelligence video, where structures similar to camps (with housing and military training areas) can be seen on the Venezuelan side of the border with Colombia, which reportedly belonged to the FARC-EP guerrillas. Venezuelan Foreign Minister Nicolás Maduro initially denied the existence of these camps and rejected the proposal to visit the area together with international observers to verify the claims. Extortion by the FARC-EP of Venezuelan citizens within the territory has been reported since at least 2008, who are given their respective payment receipts.[5] On 4 February 2010, the Central Intelligence Agency and Federal Bureau of Investigation American federal agencies stated in a report that "Chávez was covertly supporting the FARC-EP".[6]
Nicolás Maduro administration
By 2018, the investigative group InSight Crime reported that the National Liberation Army (Spanish: Ejército de Liberación Nacional) operated in at least 12 of Venezuela's 23 states.[7] The Venezuelan NGO Fundación Redes (Fundaredes) in 2018 documented more than 250 reports of Venezuelans who were victims of recruitment by Colombian irregular groups.[8] Recruitment has also been denounced by Colombian media.[9][10]
In 2019, the National Assembly of Venezuela designated the colectivos (irregular, leftist Venezuelan community organizations that support Nicolás Maduro, the Bolivarian government and the Great Patriotic Pole) as terrorist groups due to their "violence, paramilitary actions, intimidation, murders and other crimes", declaring their acts as state-sponsored terrorism.[11]
On 28 July 2019, during the XXV São Paulo Forum held in Caracas, Nicolás Maduro declared that FARC-EP dissidents Iván Márquez and Jesús Santrich were "welcome" in Venezuela and at the São Paulo Forum.[12]
See also
- Iran and state-sponsored terrorism
- Israel and state-sponsored terrorism
- Pakistan and state-sponsored terrorism
- Qatar and state-sponsored terrorism
- Terrorism and the Soviet Union
References
- ^ a b «Chávez pidió sacar a las FARC de la lista de organizaciones terroristas» Template:Wayback, en Clarín, 11 de enero de 2008. URL accedida el 1 de febrero, 2008.
- ^ "Rechaza Europa retirar a las FARC de lista de organizaciones terroristas".
- ^ "Esta es una operación del año 2000, una operación de inteligencia con una misión netamente humanitaria, se trataba de la entrega de un venezolano, a quien no se le encontraron pruebas de colaboración ni con las FARC ni con los paramilitares"«FARC-Venezuela: video polémico», en BBC Mundo: 31 de enero de 2002.
- ^ "aporrea.org: La doble nacionalidad de Rodrigo Granda". Archived from the original on 28 September 2010.
- ^ "FARC entregan recibos de pago a ciudadanos extorsionados en Venezuela". Archived from the original on 9 February 2008. Retrieved 30 November 2018.
- ^ "EL Tiempo: 'Chávez apoya de manera encubierta a las FARC', dice informe de inteligencia de E.U."[dead link]
- ^ "El ELN opera en 12 estados de Venezuela". InSight Crime. 13 November 2018. Retrieved 3 January 2019.
- ^ "Mujeres y jóvenes de Venezuela, los más reclutados por los grupos irregulares". InSight Crime (in European Spanish). 2018-12-31. Retrieved 2021-07-02.
- ^ "Arauca: Reclutamiento de niños venezolanos en la frontera". Semana. Retrieved 2021-02-13.
- ^ "Alerta en Bogotá por reclutamiento de venezolanos indocumentados por bandas delincuenciales". Canal 1. 2020-11-04. Retrieved 2021-02-13.
- ^ "AN declaró como terroristas a los colectivos" [NA declares colectivos terrorists]. Prensa AN (Press release) (in Spanish). National Assembly of Venezuela. 2 April 2019. Archived from the original on April 4, 2019. Retrieved 9 April 2019.
- ^ "Maduro dice que Iván Márquez y Jesús Santrich "son bienvenidos" a Venezuela". La Vanguardia. 2019-07-28. Retrieved 2021-03-26.