Santrich in 2017

Seuxis Pausias Hernández Solarte, more commonly known as Jesús Santrich (31 July 1967 – 17 May 2021), was a guerrilla leader of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia–People's Army (FARC–EP). He was a member of the Chamber of Representatives of Colombia until August 2019 and was the FARC's delegate in the Colombian peace process in Havana.[1]

Life

He was a member of a Communist youth organization as a teenager and studied Social Sciences at the University of Atlántico.[2]

He was wanted by the US Government on allegations of drug trafficking, carried out six months after the peace process.[3][4] A Truth Commission report released in 2022 showed that the charges against Jesús Santrich and his arrest were a plot by the DEA and Colombian Attorney General Néstor Humberto Martínez to jeopardize the Colombian peace process, incite the FARC to take up arms again, and send a message to the public that the peace agreement had failed.[5]

Death

Santrich was assassinated on 17 May 2021 during a shooting in Venezuela. Five other people died in the incident.[6] Following his death several versions were put forward by the media on who was responsible, with some blaming mercenaries, the Venezuelan National Guard and the FARC blaming Colombian commandos illegally operating in Venezuela.[7][8]

References

  1. ↑ Casey, Nicholas (10 April 2019). "Former Colombian Rebel Commander Is Arrested on Drug Charges". The New York Times. The New York Times. Retrieved 30 August 2019.
  2. ↑ "Jesus Santrich". Universidad de Atlántico. Retrieved 30 August 2019.
  3. ↑ "Department Press Briefing – May 30, 2019". US Department of State. Retrieved 30 August 2019.
  4. ↑ "The disappearance of Jesús Santrich threatens Colombia's peace deal". The Economist. 2019-07-06. ISSN 0013-0613. Retrieved 2019-10-21.
  5. ↑ "La DEA, la Fiscalía y un coronel entramparon el proceso de paz | Cambio Colombia".
  6. ↑ Juan Diego Quesada (18 May 2021). "Muere Jesús Santrich, guerrillero disidente de las FARC, en un ataque en Venezuela" (in Spanish). El País. Retrieved 18 May 2021.
  7. ↑ "Ex-Farc leader killed in Venezuela by Colombian troops, rebel group says". The Guardian. 19 May 2021. Retrieved 20 May 2021.
  8. ↑ "Muere Jesús Santrich en enfrentamientos con la Guardia Nacional venezolana". El Mundo (in Spanish). 2021-05-18. Retrieved 2021-05-19.
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