Colombia: Story of a massacre

President Rafael Correa of Ecuador broke diplomatic relations with Colombia, dispatched troops to the border, and embarked on a five nation tour to recruit support. Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez also broke with Colombia and dispatched 10 tank battalions along Venezuela’s shared 1,400 mile border, which he closed. The two presidents blamed Washington for an attack that U.S. Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez, visiting in Colombia, called “a political and strategic master-stroke.”

Latin American and European nations backed President Correa. On March 5, the Organization of American States condemned Colombia for violating Ecuador’s sovereignty. Two days later in Santo Domingo, at a summit meeting of the Rio Group of 22 Latin American nations, Rafael Correa delivered a militant speech. The assembly responded by rejecting “this violation of Ecuadorian territorial integrity” and accepting apologies and promises from President Alvaro Uribe of Colombia.