This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It will not be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/world/americas/7291201.stm

The article has changed 2 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 0 Version 1
Farc ex-rebel to get $2.5m payout Colombia mulls payout to ex-rebel
(30 minutes later)
The Colombian government is to pay $2.5m to a Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc) guerrilla who assassinated his boss last week. The Colombian government is considering whether to pay $2.5m to a Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc) rebel who assassinated his boss last week.
Pedro Pablo Montoya, known as Rojas, killed Ivan Rios, a member of the leftist rebel group's ruling body, the Secretariat, then turned himself in.Pedro Pablo Montoya, known as Rojas, killed Ivan Rios, a member of the leftist rebel group's ruling body, the Secretariat, then turned himself in.
The Colombian government has made the paying of rewards to informants central to its fight against Farc.The Colombian government has made the paying of rewards to informants central to its fight against Farc.
The death came amid a regional row over the killing of another Farc rebel.The death came amid a regional row over the killing of another Farc rebel.
Montoya, described by the BBC's Jeremy McDermott in Colombia as a guerrilla with a long and bloody history in the Farc rebel army, shot his boss Rios with a single bullet to the head, and then murdered Rios's girlfriend.Montoya, described by the BBC's Jeremy McDermott in Colombia as a guerrilla with a long and bloody history in the Farc rebel army, shot his boss Rios with a single bullet to the head, and then murdered Rios's girlfriend.
Rojas proceeded to cut off Rios's right hand to take to the security forces to prove he had killed the rebel leader, a member of Farc's seven-man Secretariat.Rojas proceeded to cut off Rios's right hand to take to the security forces to prove he had killed the rebel leader, a member of Farc's seven-man Secretariat.
ControversyControversy
Rojas will now be paid the $2.5m as part of the government reward scheme for information leading to the capture or killing of wanted rebel leaders or drugs traffickers. Colombian President Alvaro Uribe said on Monday that they were awaiting the results of an investigation into the killing to determine whether Rojas was entitled to a reward.
Our correspondent says the announcement has provoked debate in Colombia as to how a killer like Rojas, who would normally be charged with murder, is being rewarded. "We must wait to see what the judicial authorities say...for them to determine what state the Farc group led by Ivan Rios was in, what was the degree of pressure or threats upon its members...to weigh risk against action taken by the person who is claiming the reward," said Mr Uribe.
If Rojas is paid the $2.5m, it would be part of the government reward scheme for information leading to the capture or killing of wanted rebel leaders or drugs traffickers.
Our correspondent says there is debate in Colombia as to why a killer like Rojas, who would normally be charged with murder, should be rewarded.
The government has answered that it must support the system of rewards that has proved vital to securing intelligence.The government has answered that it must support the system of rewards that has proved vital to securing intelligence.
Rojas said that his reward would encourage other rebels to kill their commanders and desert. Mr Uribe said the scheme was aimed at discovering the whereabouts of the guerrillas but stressed that Colombia, a state of law, was not in the business of encouraging massacres.
Colombian President Alvaro Uribe has made the military defeat of the Farc the cornerstone of his government's policy, with the blessing and support of Washington. Rojas has said his reward would encourage other rebels to kill their commanders and desert.
He has dealt a series of blows to the guerrillas, killing leaders and undermining key rebel units through desertions. President Uribe has made the military defeat of the Farc the cornerstone of his government's policy, with the blessing and support of Washington. He has dealt a series of blows to the guerrillas, killing leaders and undermining key rebel units through desertions.
The paying of informants has been key to this effort and Mr Uribe wants it to continue, no matter who ends up collecting the money, our correspondent says.
Rios's death came just a week after Farc commander Raul Reyes was killed by Colombian troops in a raid inside Ecuador.Rios's death came just a week after Farc commander Raul Reyes was killed by Colombian troops in a raid inside Ecuador.
The violation of Ecuador's territory sparked the worst diplomatic crisis in the region for years, which saw Ecuador and Venezuela break off diplomatic ties with Bogota and send extra troops to their borders with Colombia.The violation of Ecuador's territory sparked the worst diplomatic crisis in the region for years, which saw Ecuador and Venezuela break off diplomatic ties with Bogota and send extra troops to their borders with Colombia.