Health war as Colombian rebel leader, Londono suffers stroke

Colombia’s FARC rebel leader Rodrigo Londono was hospitalized on Sunday after suffering a stroke, doctors said but had largely recovered within a few hours of admittance.

The 58-year-old, also known as Timochenko, was taken to hospital in the city of Villavicencio because he felt tired and was having difficulty moving his left arm, Feliz Muniz, another FARC leader told reporters.

The news came just days after FARC rebels finished handing over all their weapons following the historic peace deal signed by Londono and President Juan Manuel Santos in November.

Londono had suffered an ischemic stroke, according to Lidis Herrera, head of the University Cooperative Clinic where he was admitted, which occurs when an artery supplying blood to the brain is blocked.

The patient had shown a “noticeable improvement” he added, “and will remain under medical observation in the intensive care unit.”

“Everything is going well,” Londono wrote on Twitter. “I thank the medical staff for their care.”

He previously suffered from heart problems during the peace negotiations and had to undergo surgery in Cuba in 2015, though this only became known in March. Doctors had to revive the former guerilla fighter with electric shocks after he suffered a cardiac arrest.

He has led FARC since 2011, when the previous leader, Guillermo Saenz, was killed by Colombian forces.NAN