Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega this weekend eulogized the deceased leader of Colombia's largest rebel group, reiterating the phrase “our brother” that has fueled suspicions about Ortega's allegiances.

The news that Manuel Marulanda, founder and top commander of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), died emerged Saturday with an announcement by the Colombian government. On Sunday, the leftist guerrilla army itself confirmed its chief had died after a heart attack on March 26, but the group pledged to fight on against President Alvaro Uribe's U.S.-backed government.

Nicaragua's leader, speaking Sunday in Uruguay, praised the rebel commander, calling him an “extraordinary fighter” who struggled for decades to reverse “profound inequalities,” the Associated Press reported.

Ortega has previously referred to both Raúl Reyes, FARC's fallen No. 2 commander, and Marulanda as his “dear brothers.”

A U.S. State Department official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told The Nica Times the United States is keeping close tabs on Ortega's relationship with FARC.

Read the latest issue and this coming Friday's Tico Times for more on Nicaragua's and Costa Rica's alleged FARC ties.