By Xinhua
Quito (Ecuador) : Ecuador has decided to cut diplomatic ties with Colombia, the president’s office said in a statement here.
“The government of Ecuador has decided to break diplomatic relations with Colombia, starting today,” the statement said Monday.
The decision comes 48 hours after Colombian police and military officials killed rebels from the nation’s largest rebel group the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) at a camp three kilometres inside Ecuador. Ecuador says the Colombian military aircraft trespassed at least 10 km into its border.
The raid killed 21 FARC fighters, including Edgar Devia, better known by his alias Raul Reyes, the organisation’s number two leader and official spokesman.
The Colombian government had not asked permission from the Ecuador government about the raid and said later that they were acting in “legitimate self-defence”.