Raúl Reyes

Luis Edgar Devia Silva aka Raúl Reyes.

Luis Edgar Devia Silva aka Raúl Reyes, (September 30, 1948 – March 1, 2008) was a Secretariat Member, spokesperson and Advisor to the Southern Bloc of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia-EP. Reyes was born in the Colombian town of La Plata, Huila Department. He was a Marxist by conviction who joined a trade union movement while working for a milk plant of Nestlé in Caquetá department.

After becoming a member of FARC, Reyes was accused by the US Department of State and the Colombian government of advocating the expansion of FARC's cocaine trafficking activities, setting the FARC's cocaine policies, including the production, manufacture, and distribution of thousands of tons of cocaine to the United States and the world. He had also been accused of promoting the so-called "taxation" of the illegal drug trade in Colombia to raise funds for the FARC, as well as of participating in the murder of hundreds of people who violated or interfered with the FARC's interests. Before his death the United States Department of State was offering a reward of up to US$5 million for information leading to his arrest. Raúl Reyes was a member of the FARC Secretariat, the highest ranked member after Manuel Marulanda (Tirofijo) their chairman. Reyes was a prominent figure and spokesperson for the FARC.

Raúl Reyes was said to move through the southern Colombian frontier, especially in Putumayo, along the border with Ecuador. His possible presence on Ecuadorian territory was alleged by Colombian President Álvaro Uribe in late 2006. Ecuador's authorities have rejected this claim. Colombian Army official German Galvis later repeated this claim.

Death

Main article: 2008 crisis between Colombia, versus Ecuador and Venezuela

He was killed during a Colombian military operation in Granada, Putumayo, on March 1, 2008 against an encampment situated on the Ecuadorian side of the border along the Putumayo River. The attack started at 00:25.

The Colombian Government acknowledged the killing of Reyes and 16 more guerrillas in a guerrilla camp 1.8 kilometers (1.1 miles) inside Ecuador's border. The dead body was retrieved and transported to Colombian territory after the operation took place.

According to the Ecuadorian government the attack happened 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) from the border inside Ecuador’s territory and it was a planned air strike followed by the incursion of Colombian troops transported by helicopters. The attack left a total of 20 guerrilla members found dead in Ecuadorian territory, many of them wearing underwear or sleeping clothes. According to Ecuadorean president Rafael Correa, the war planes entered 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) in Ecuador's territory and struck while flying north. followed by troops who came by helicopters and completed the killings. Ecuadorian authorities found that some of the bodies were shot from the back.

The Ecuadorean president announced that a diplomatic note would be sent in protest, claiming that the action was a violation of Ecuador's airspace. Venezuelan president Hugo Chávez called the attack "a cowardly murder" and reacted by moving troops near the border with Colombia and calling all personnel from the embassy, saying that doing something similar inside Venezuela would be a "cause for war".

According to one report, Colombian government officials have seized documents showed Correa "had both a relationship and various commitments with FARC" and that Reyes had met Ecuador's minister of internal security to discuss an "interest in making official relations with the Farc".