Border Build-up

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On March 1, Colombian troops mounted a cross-border raid into Ecuador, culminating in the death of Raul Reyes, allegedly the second-in-command of the FARC terrorist group. The episode has left relations between Bogotá, Caracas and Quito at boiling point, with both Venezuela and Ecuador closing their respective embassies in the Colombian capital and President Hugo Chávez of Venezuela sending armoured divisions to the border. Defending the move after Colombian forces came under fire from across the border, the authorities claim to have found documentation written by Reyes tying both Presidents Chavez and Correa to the outlawed organisation.