Five alleged Farc rebels have been arrested on the Ecuadorian territory near the Colombian border, the Ecuadorian officials said.

Defense Minister Gustavo Larrea said that the five persons suspected of being members of the Colombian rebel group were detained after the army made a search of farms and houses located a few meters from the Colombian border, BBC informs.

“The guerrillas were detained in the Chanangue river, which leads to the San Miguel River, located very few metres from the Colombian border,” Larrea said.

Their detention comes after the Colombian raid in Ecuador, when a top Farc leader, Raul Reyes, and other 23 Farc rebels were killed, causing concerning tensions at the Colombian border. Ecuador and Venezuela has expressed a strong disapproval of the Colombian incursion; Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez called it a “war crime,” and called for the immediate expulsion of the Colombian ambassador in Caracas.

Chavez and Ecuador’s President Rafael Correa have deployed troops and tanks at their Colombian borders, and announced they are breaking off the relations with Colombia.  

 President Correa is on a tour of Latin American capitals to persuade other South-American leaders to oppose the Colombian cross-border raid.

Nicaragua announced on Thursday that it breaks off the ties with Colombia “because of the political terrorism” carried out by Colombian President Alvaro Uribe.

The Rio group summit is due to take place Friday. Correa says that he expects Colombia to apologize for the Saturday raid, and also to pledge to stop the allegations, according to which he and Chavez have had ties with the FARC.

President Uribe will meet with the presidents of Brazil, Mexico, Chile, Guyana, Argentina, Bolivia, Honduras and the Organization of American States chief in Santo Domingo during the summit.

Correa has called for the Rio Group to condemn Colombia and “force Uribe’s government to never attack any other country under any pretext,” AFP reports.

The Washington-based OAS said Wednesday that Colombia has violated Ecuador’s sovereignty, but fell short of direct condemnation. It is well-known the fact that the United States have offered a billion-dollar support to Colombia for combating the guerillas.

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice urged vigilance when using the border areas by “terrorist organizations like the Farc,” and calls for a diplomatic solution to the conflict.