Jesús Adán Mazo, s senior figure in the FARC terror organization, was found dead early Monday morning in the town of Ituango on the northern edge of Colombia’s Antioquia province, according to the city’s mayor. Adán, who also used the alias “Molina”, was the leader of the organization’s 18th front. His body was found just after midnight.
Adán was in the town, a former conflict zone, along with 253 other members of the group, to participate in a process aimed at reintegrating the guerrillas into society under the terms of the 2016 Havana Accords. If a police investigation concludes that Adán was murdered, he will be the third FARC member to be assassinated in Ituango this year.
“There’s fear because two former FARC members have already been murdered in Ituango. The army must be prepared to protect the life of ex-guerrillas”, said Hernán Álvarez, mayor of Ituango.
“Pastor Alape”, a member of the FARC secretariat, spoke out on Twitter,
“We condemn the murder of Jesús Adán Mazo near the Ituango former conflict zone. Two days ago containers with arms were extracted. Today the first death“, he wrote, referring to FARC weapons that have been surrendered as part of the accords.
Condenamos el asesinato de Jesús Adán Mazo a metros de ZVTN de Ituango. Hace dos dias salieron contenedores con armas, hoy el primer muerto. pic.twitter.com/qYc6Mt0mlO
— Pastor Alape Lascarro (@Pastor_Alape) August 14, 2017
The Colombian government is charged with protecting guerrilla members who have surrendered their arms within 6 areas in Antioquia. There are 1,006 FARC members in those zones that have asked for protection. They claim that their lives are at risk from criminal bands.
