Walther Arizala, aka "Guacho", the dissident of the former FARC guerrillas most wanted by Colombia and Ecuador, was shot dead Friday during an operation by the Colombian authorities on the border of the two countries, announced the government.
"Today, as part of a heroic joint action of the army and the police, with the support of the CTI (Cuerpo Técnico de Investigaciones - Technical Investigation Services) of the Attorney General we can confirm that (Arizala ) alias 'Guacho' fell into an operation and was shot dead, "Colombian President Iván Duque told reporters. The operation in forest areas of the border department of Nariño, "brought down one of the most terrible criminals that our country has known," he added.
Former FARC guerrilla who rejected the peace agreement signed in late 2016, after which the oldest rebellion of the Americas has laid down arms and turned into a political party, "Guacho" had since become the armed arm of the cartel Mexican from Sinaloa, according to the authorities. Without a unified command, dissident rebels operate in remote areas of Colombia where they compete for revenue from drug trafficking and illegal mining. According to military intelligence, there are some 1,200 fighters.