by Rod Hughes

BOGATA, Colombia– The high command of the Colombian guerrilla group FARC confirmed the death of its maximum leader, Manuela Marulanda, yesterday, raising hopes for a peace negotiation somewhere down the blood-soaked road. Marulanda, 78, founded FARC 44 years ago but it has evolved from being a guerrilla group into an organization identified by both the United States and the European Union as a dangerous narco-terrorist group.

Wire services reported today that the emotional confirmation statement was read over Venezuelan TV station Telesur by a member of FARC’s secretariat, Timoleon Jimenez, revealing that the leader had died of a cardiac infarct. This is the second such blow for FARC in two months. On April 1, a Colombian air attack on a FARC camp just over the border in Ecuador killed second in command Raul Reyes. (Names are in italics since they may be nom de guerre for one or both ommanders.)

Even before Marulanda died, reports had circulated that a split might have developed in FARC. This could be wishful thinking by war-weary Colombians but hopes were raised that FARC could follow the fate of the once numerious M-19 guerrillas that disbanded its military forces to follow a totally political agenda.

This possibility interests Costa Ricans for two reasons: Recently allegations that FARC had infiltrated this country’s political scene raised a firestorm of controversy and cost the job of then-Minister of Public Security Fernando Berrocal. A judicial police raid on the home of a Heredia couple revealed the moldering remains of nearly half a million dollars in a neglected safe, FARC funds from an era when the guerrillas hoped to establish an office in this country.

The controversy was fueled by an inflamatory report to an investigating committee in the Legislative Assembly delivered by DIS, the police intelligence agency. But Central America’s leading English-language newspaper, The Tico Times, editorially expressed skepticism of the DIS report and President Oscar Arias previously had gone on television to call Berrocal’s statements “demagoguery.”

The second reason for local interest: Part of the recent political confusion is generated by an attempt by Costa Rica’s Figueres Administration in the 1990s to broker a peace deal between FARC and the Colombian government. This involved meetings between FARC officials (including Reyes) and members of the government but nothing developed from the feelers since Costa Rica turned thumbs down on FARC placing an office here.

If peace is possible between FARC and the Colombian authorities, it is unlikely that the Costa Ricans will try to broker it, despite President Oscar Aria’s fame as a Nobel Peace Prize winner. The whole FARC episode has left a bad taste in officials’ mouths.