In an early morning attack on March 1, 2008 Colombian military forces made an incursion into Ecuadorian territory and murdered several FARC-EP guerrillas, including spokesperson Raúl Reyes. President Correa of Ecuador reported that the guerrillas had not been killed in military confrontation as reported by Colombian officials; rather they were murdered in their sleep, as they were found in their pyjamas. This cowardly act by the Uribe government of Colombia constitutes a very severe violation of international norms and laws and most seriously, the sovereignty of Ecuador.
As a result both Ecuador and Venezuela have recalled their Ambassadors from Bogotá and Ecuador has expelled the Colombian Ambassador from their territory. All three nations have now built up their military presence on their borders. The day after the attack Chávez remarked on “Álo Presidente” that if Colombia were ever to do the same in Venezuelan territory that it would constitute an act of war. This is a dramatic departure from Chávez’s tone in the past with respect to Colombia and the Uribe government and is cause for concern.
The U.S. frequently accuses Chávez of attempting to destabilize the region. This act by the Bush administration and its puppet President Uribe is proof that the real aggressor in the region is the U.S. The goal of this operation was to undermine the progress that had been made with Colombia’s government and the FARC-EP as a result of Chávez’s mediation efforts. As such, it is clear that this military act was as much a message to Chávez as it was to the FARC-EP. Effectively what is being said is that the U.S. will not tolerate political solutions. Instead, what the U.S. desires is an escalation and an internationalization of the military conflict in Colombia. This would give them the pretext to increase military funding and operations in the region, putting Venezuela clear in their sights.
A war between Venezuela and Colombia would be disastrous for the people of those countries and particularly so for the Venezuelan Revolution. Venezuela would be forced to divert its attention toward the war and away from building socialism. The lessons from the Contra War in Nicaragua tell us how devastating this can be. Accordingly, we must be prepared to resist any aggression by US imperialism and its allies in the region.
