Former FARC guerrilla’s fate sparks conflict between Paraguay and Mexico

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – A briefing from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs states that “Paraguayan authorities contacted Mexico to request the arrest and extradition to Paraguay of Mr. Granda during the night of October 19,” while he was “being held” at the Mexico City airport.

However, the former peace negotiator had already left Mexico “before the request could be processed,” the Foreign Ministry added.

Paraguayan Foreign Minister Euclides Acevedo on Wednesday summoned the Mexican ambassador in Asuncion for an explanation as to why Granda, scheduled to attend a forum organized by the Workers’ Party (PT), an ally of leftist President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, was released.

The Mexican Foreign Ministry said that, prior to the trip, it made the required arrangements “to guarantee the entry of the Colombian delegation with no setbacks.”

The National Institute of Migration and the National Intelligence Center confirmed that “there was no record of migratory alerts or other potential issues,” but Interpol “raised the alert” for Granda’s detention at noon on Tuesday, when he was flying to the Mexican capital.

As a result, the former leader was initially denied entry into Mexico.

However, “after being detained, internal procedures were taken and he was notified that he would be allowed to enter Mexico. The interested party then decided to return to Colombia” in the early hours of Wednesday morning, the Foreign Ministry said.

Paraguay is calling for Granda’s arrest for allegedly having advised the Paraguayan People’s Army (EPP) guerrillas in the kidnapping and murder of Cecilia Cubas. The woman, who was pregnant, was the daughter of ex-president Raúl Cubas Grau.

In its clarification, the Mexican government underlined its “support for the peace process in Colombia,” which led to the disarmament of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) almost 5 years ago.