Is there a FARC-Mapuche connection?

Chilean indigenous leaders have strong links to Colombia’s FARC guerillas according to allegations made by Chile’s right-wing opposition.

A report was allegedly leaked by Colombia’s government to a group representing Chilean presidential hopeful Sebastian Piñera during a recent visit to Bogota. The information from the documents reportedly used information from the laptops seized during the deadly operation against Raul Reyes, and detailed how indigenous Chilean leaders reportedly met and were photographed with FARC commanders.

Piñera (the odds-on favorite to succeed President Michelle Bachelet) claimed that the “information is accurate” and that his allies had no choice but to publicize the information. Interior Minister Edmundo Perez Yoma categorically rejected Piñera’s accusations and denied knowing of any links between Mapuche heads and the FARC. One Mapuche leader reacted by blaming both the government and the opposition of “creating a climate” of oppression against Chile’s indigenous people.

Chile’s opposition contended that Colombia’s center-right president Alvaro Uribe was upset with the Bachelet administration over the “leaked dossier.” Yet the Colombian government rebuffed that claim as Uribe tried earlier today to avoid sparking a major diplomatic crisis.

Image- The Telegraph

Sources (English)- The Latin Americanist, Angus Reid Consultants, The Patagonia Times

Sources (Spanish)- El Tiempo, Union Radio, La Nacion, urgnte24.com