Media Release
Contact: Mandy Castle
IHS Jane’s Public Relations Manager
+44 (0) 208 700 3745
amanda.castle@janes.com
Colombia Seizes Rocket Launchers From Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia (FARC)
Jane’s Intelligence Weekly Reports
LONDON (20 July 2009) – Jane’s Intelligence Weekly has received information that Colombia has seized a number of antitank rocket launchers from guerrilla camps. These weapons may have been originally sold to the Venezuelan army before an arms embargo in 2006.
The seized weapons are believed to be the AT4 model of the 84mm recoilless weapon manufactured by Saab Bofors Dynamics in Sweden. Four separate intelligence and diplomatic sources confirmed the information, although senior Colombian defence officials did not respond to IHS Jane’s requests for further details. It is not clear how many rocket launchers have been seized.
Jane’s Intelligence Weekly explained, “These weapons are most effective if the intended target is relatively close and moving slowly, when a direct hit from an AT4 could potentially bring down a helicopter. The seizure of the AT4s will concern the Colombian government, which in the past has experienced a number of tense diplomatic exchanges with Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez over issues such as alleged FARC presence on the Venezuelan side of the border.”
Jane’s Intelligence Weekly believe that the Colombian government is unlikely to complain publicly about the seizure of the AT4s, since this would further destabilise bilateral relations and because a potential resulting spike in tensions could weigh on crucial bilateral trade, at a time when Colombia’s economy is experiencing a sharp slowdown.
Forecast
Jane’s Intelligence Weekly concluded, “Concern about potential illegal seepage from the Venezuelan military arsenal is likely to be expressed through unofficial channels, with Bogotá seeking to put discreet pressure on Caracas to investigate the provenance of the AT4s or further crack down on the FARC’s efforts to operate across the Venezuela-Colombia border.
“Therefore tensions are unlikely to spike to the levels they reached in March 2008, when Venezuela sent tanks to the border with Colombia following a dispute over Colombia’s incursion into Ecuadorian territory.”
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To interview Anna Gilmour, Jane’s Intelligence Weekly senior Americas analyst, please contact Mandy Castle, senior manager public relations IHS Jane’s, (contact details at top of page).
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IHS Jane's is the leading open source information provider and conference organiser on defence, international risk and national security to governments, militaries, industries and academia around the globe. 2009 is the 100 th anniversary of Jane’s All The Worlds Aircraft. IHS Jane’s, an IHS (NYSE: IHS) company, is headquartered in London, and also has offices in Alexandria, Virginia; Singapore; Tokyo; Dubai; and Sydney, Australia.
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