Rodrigo Londoño, known as "Timochenko" and the top commander of the defunct FARC-EP, urged Colombia's elected president, Abelardo De La Espriella, to reconsider his decision to sever diplomatic relations with Cuba. The statement came just one day after the elected leader announced that his government would completely cut ties with Havana and Nicaragua.
Through a message posted on his X account (@TimoComunes), Londoño emphasized the role that Cuba played in the Colombian peace process and called for the "gratitude" that, in his view, the South American country holds towards the island.
"I urge reflection on the announced break in diplomatic relations with Cuba. Cuba is a friendly country, with a heroic people and a government supportive of peace in Colombia," wrote the former guerrilla leader.
Londoño's defense is based on the role Cuba played as a guarantor country, along with Norway, during the negotiations between the Colombian government and the FARC-EP, which resulted in the Final Peace Agreement of 2016.
The conversations began in November 2012 and continued for almost four years in Havana. The agreement was initially signed on August 24, 2016, in the Cuban capital, followed by a subsequent ceremony in Cartagena and its final ratification in Bogotá on November 24 of that same year.
The island also hosted the negotiations between Gustavo Petro's government and the National Liberation Army (ELN) guerrilla. In 2023, it was the venue for the third round of talks, which concluded with the signing of a 180-day bilateral ceasefire.
In his message, Londoño went beyond acknowledging Cuba's role as a mediator and openly praised the Cuban regime.
"To Cuba, the moral beacon of humanity, we owe infinite gratitude," affirmed the former guerrilla commander, before concluding with the phrase: "Cuba and Colombia, brother countries."
Tension is rising with the incoming government
Timochenko's statement comes amid a political confrontation with the elected president. During the campaign, De La Espriella claimed that the former FARC leader "deserves to be imprisoned for life" and stated that he will promote actions to ensure he is held accountable before the law.
On Monday, the elected leader also confirmed the closure of 14 Colombian embassies and specified that only with Cuba and Nicaragua will there be a complete diplomatic break, considering that both countries are governed by "tyrannies."
"In my government, there will be no ties with tyrannies," he affirmed.
The response from Havana did not take long to arrive. This Tuesday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Cuba issued a statement in which it accused De La Espriella of acting under the influence of Washington. The text, titled "In an act of subservience to the aggressive policy of the United States," argues that the decision "has not the slightest justification and does not reflect the Colombian national interests."
The Cuban Foreign Ministry also stated that the break "does not represent the feelings of the brotherly Colombian people."
De La Espriella will assume the presidency on August 7, 2026, in a ceremony scheduled to take place in Cali. That same day, the severing of relations with Cuba would come into effect, marking the third diplomatic break between the two countries, following those that occurred in 1961 and 1981.
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