The Colombian government announced on Wednesday the “alleged death” in Venezuela of Gentil Duarte, leader of the FARC dissidents.
“Intelligence information from Colombia reveals the alleged death of alias Gentil Duarte in the state of Zulia in Venezuela due to a confrontation between themselves, between those drug-trafficking and terrorist groups”, said the Minister of Defense of that country, Diego Molano, in statements to journalists.
Molano added that the guerrilla, whose real name was Miguel Botanche Santanilla, had fled to Venezuela after two military operations against him carried out on last year.
“This is one more test, if this is confirmed fact, that the regime of (the president of Venezuela, Nicolás) Maduro protects terrorist groups and drug traffickers on its soil and does not fight them”, he pointed out.
Gentil Duarte, born in 1963 and a native of Flore ncia, Caquetá, had been expelled from the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) in 2016 after opposing to sign peace with the government.
He had been described then as “one of its historical men” by Ariel Ávila, who was deputy director of the Peace and Reconciliation Foundation.
After his departure, he became one of the leaders of the FARC dissidents.
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