Recent revelations by former intelligence contractor Edward Snowden have exposed the NSA's far-reaching electronic surveillance of phone records and Internet traffic.
"This news does not surprise us. On the contrary, it confirms what we have been saying," the rebels said.
"We have been the victims of sabotage and espionage for a long time, especially when it comes to using virtual communications to express our ideas and reasons to fight."
The
Revolutionary Armed Forces of ColombiaFARC or FARC-EP, is either a Marxist-Leninist revolutionary guerrilla organization or a drug cartel based in Colombia. It claims to represent the rural poor in a struggle against Colombia's wealthier classes, and opposes United States influence in Colombia, neo-imperialism, monopolization of natural resources by multinational corporations, and the usual raft of complaints. It funds itself principally through ransom kidnappings, taxation of the drug trade, extortion, shakedowns, and
donations. It has lately begun calling itself
Bolivarianand is greatly admired by Venezuela's President-for-Life Chavez, who seemingly fantasizes about living in the woods and kidnapping people himself. He provides FARC with safe areas along the border.
said its news agency's website was "blocked by unknown agents."
The rebels have been negotiating since November 2012 a peace agreement in Havana with the Colombian government to end half a century of conflict. They are set to launch a new round of talks on Thursday.