(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - The vast majority of people in Colombia back their government’s decision to launch a military raid against rebels in Ecuadorian territory, according to a poll by Centro Nacional de Consultoría and Cedatos-Gallup released by CM&. 83 per cent of respondents in Colombia approve of the cross-border incursion that resulted in the killing of Raúl Reyes, while 69 per cent of Ecuadorians are against it.

The leftist armed group Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) has fought against the establishment for over four decades. The largest Latin American guerrilla group finances its operations through kidnappings, and by trading drugs and precious metals. More than 700 people—and by some accounts more than 3,000—are currently being held in captivity by the FARC. Almost 50 of them are politicians, police and army officers that the FARC intends to use for the purposes of negotiating the release of its incarcerated members.

On Mar. 1, the Colombian armed forces attacked a FARC camp almost two kilometres into the border with Ecuador. The target was Reyes, also known as the "chancellor of the FARC" due to his role as the group’s spokesperson before the international community. Reyes—one of seven top FARC commanders—was killed along with 16 other rebels in the raid. One Colombian soldier was also killed.

The operation was followed by fierce condemnation by Ecuador and Venezuela, which also borders Colombia. Both Ecuadorian president Rafael Correa and Venezuelan president Hugo Chávez, who are political allies, recalled their ambassadors and officially broke diplomatic ties with Colombia. Chávez immediately ordered Venezuelan troops to seal the border with Colombia, and warned of retaliation if its boundary "was also violated." 83 per cent of respondents in Colombia disapprove of Venezuela’s reaction to the operation, while 80 per cent of respondents in Ecuador applaud it.

Colombian president Álvaro Uribe is currently studying a proposal to denounce Chávez before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) for allegedly funding the FARC, which is deemed a terrorist organization by both the United States and the European Union (EU). The government has said computers found in the raid against Reyes contain information about payments made by Chávez to the FARC worth up to $300 million U.S.

On Mar. 5, Uribe said that Colombia might seek to denounce Chávez for "promoting and financing" a "genocidal" group.

On Mar. 7, during a Latin American summit in the Dominican Republic, Uribe shook hands with both Chávez and Correa. The Ecuadorian president declared: "And with this, this incident that has caused so much damage would be resolved."

Polling Data

Do you approve or disapprove of Colombia’s cross-border incursion into Ecuador to eliminate Raúl Reyes?

Do you approve or disapprove of the Venezuelan government’s reaction?

Given the current state of affairs, do you agree or disagree with Colombia and Ecuador breaking diplomatic ties?

Source: Centro Nacional de Consultoría / Cedatos-Gallup / CM&
Methodology: Interviews with 1,000 Colombian adults in nine cities, conducted on Mar. 3, 2008. Margin of error is 3.1 per cent. Interviews with 628 Ecuadorian adults in three cities, conducted on Mar. 3, 2008. Margin of error is 3.9 per cent.

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