The Colombian Communist Party (Partido Comunista Colombiano, PCC) was formally accredited by the Comintern in 1930.
The Colombian government responded with offensive strikes, killing FARC members planning to lead rearmament activities. == Background == === La Violencia and the National Front === In 1948, in the aftermath of the assassination of the populist politician Jorge Eliécer Gaitán, there occurred a decade of large-scale political violence throughout Colombia, which was a Conservative – Liberal civil war that killed more than 200,000 people.
In Colombian history and culture, the killings are known as La Violencia (The Violence, 1948–58); most of the people killed were peasants and laborers in rural Colombia.
In 1957–1958, the political leadership of the Liberal Party and the Conservative Party agreed to establish a bipartisan political system known as the National Front (Frente Nacional, 1958–74).
The Liberal and the Conservative parties agreed to alternate in the exercise of government power by presenting a joint National Front candidate to each election and restricting the participation of other political movements. The pact was ratified as a constitutional amendment by a national plebiscite on 1 December 1957 and was supported by the Church as well as Colombia's business leaders.
In 1957–1958, the political leadership of the Liberal Party and the Conservative Party agreed to establish a bipartisan political system known as the National Front (Frente Nacional, 1958–74).
After the failed attacks, several army outposts were set up in the area. In October 1959, the United States sent a "Special Survey Team" composed of counterinsurgency experts to investigate Colombia's internal security situation.
In February 1962, three years after the 1959 "US Special Survey Team", a Fort Bragg top-level U.S.
Doug Stokes argues that it was not until the early part of the 1980s that the Colombian government attempted to move away from the counterinsurgency strategy represented by Plan Lazo and Yarborough's 1962 recommendations. === Creation of FARC === The Colombian government began attacking many of the communist groups in the early 1960s, attempting to re-assimilate the territories under the control of the national government.
In 1961, the dispossession of farmland had produced 40,000 landless families and by 1969 their numbers amounted to 400,000 throughout Colombia.
military intelligence estimated that in 1962, the size of the PCC had grown to 8,000 to 10,000 active members, and an additional 28,000 supporters. In 1961, a guerrilla leader and long-time PCC organizer named Manuel Marulanda Vélez declared an independent "Republic of Marquetalia".
military intelligence estimated that in 1962, the size of the PCC had grown to 8,000 to 10,000 active members, and an additional 28,000 supporters. In 1961, a guerrilla leader and long-time PCC organizer named Manuel Marulanda Vélez declared an independent "Republic of Marquetalia".
In February 1962, three years after the 1959 "US Special Survey Team", a Fort Bragg top-level U.S.
Yarborough, visited Colombia for a second survey. In a secret supplement to his report to the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Yarborough encouraged the creation and deployment of a US-backed force to commit "paramilitary, sabotage and/or terrorist activities against known communist proponents". The new counter-insurgency policy was instituted as Plan Lazo in 1962 and called for both military operations and civic action programs in violent areas.
Doug Stokes argues that it was not until the early part of the 1980s that the Colombian government attempted to move away from the counterinsurgency strategy represented by Plan Lazo and Yarborough's 1962 recommendations. === Creation of FARC === The Colombian government began attacking many of the communist groups in the early 1960s, attempting to re-assimilate the territories under the control of the national government.
The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia—People's Army (link=no|Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia—Ejército del Pueblo, FARC–EP and FARC) was a guerrilla group involved in the continuing Colombian conflict starting in 1964.
FARC was formed in 1964 by Manuel Marulanda Vélez and other PCC members, after a military attack on the community of Marquetalia.
In 1961, the dispossession of farmland had produced 40,000 landless families and by 1969 their numbers amounted to 400,000 throughout Colombia.
By 1970, the latifundio type of industrial farm (more than 50 hectares) occupied more than 77 per cent of arable land in the country.
The initial power-sharing agreement was effective until 1974; nonetheless, with modifications, the Liberal–Conservative bipartisan system lasted until 1990.
Doug Stokes argues that it was not until the early part of the 1980s that the Colombian government attempted to move away from the counterinsurgency strategy represented by Plan Lazo and Yarborough's 1962 recommendations. === Creation of FARC === The Colombian government began attacking many of the communist groups in the early 1960s, attempting to re-assimilate the territories under the control of the national government.
It was also at this conference that FARC added the initials "EP", for "Ejército del Pueblo" or "People's Army", to the organization's name. ==== Uribe Agreement and Union Patriótica ==== In the early 1980s, President Belisario Betancur began discussing the possibility of peace talks with the guerrillas.
A large but often difficult to estimate portion of funding comes from the taxation of businesses and even local farmers, often lumped in with or defined by its opponents as extortion. ==== Drug trade ==== FARC was not initially involved in direct drug cultivation, trafficking, or trans-shipment prior to or during the 1980s.
These 48 men formed the core of FARC, which later grew in size to hundreds of fighters. === Betancur and Barco presidencies (1982–1990) === ==== Seventh Guerrilla Conference of the FARC–EP ==== In 1982, FARC–EP held its Seventh Guerrilla Conference, which called for a major shift in FARC's strategy.
By 1982, increased income from the "coca boom" allowed them to expand into an irregular army, which would then stage large-scale attacks on Colombian troops.
This resulted in the 1984 La Uribe Agreement, which called for a cease-fire, which ended up lasting from 1984 to 1987. In 1985, members of the FARC–EP, along with a large number of other leftist and communist groups, formed a political party known as the Union Patriótica ("Patriotic Union", UP).
This resulted in the 1984 La Uribe Agreement, which called for a cease-fire, which ended up lasting from 1984 to 1987. In 1985, members of the FARC–EP, along with a large number of other leftist and communist groups, formed a political party known as the Union Patriótica ("Patriotic Union", UP).
In 1986, UP candidates won 350 local council seats, 23 deputy positions in departmental assemblies, 9 seats in the House, and 6 seats in the Senate.
The 1986 Presidential candidate, Jaime Pardo Leal, won 4.6% of the national vote. Since 1986, thousands of members of the UP and other leftist parties were murdered (estimates range from 4,000 to 6,000).
Between 1986 and 2001, FARC was responsible for 27 assassinations, 15 threats, and 14 other abuses of indigenous people in Antioquia Department. In March 1999 members of a local FARC contingent killed 3 indigenous rights activists, who were working with the U'Wa people to build a school for U'Wa children, and were fighting against encroachment of U'Wa territory by multinational oil corporations.
This resulted in the 1984 La Uribe Agreement, which called for a cease-fire, which ended up lasting from 1984 to 1987. In 1985, members of the FARC–EP, along with a large number of other leftist and communist groups, formed a political party known as the Union Patriótica ("Patriotic Union", UP).
In 1987, the President of the UP, Jaime Pardo, was murdered.
In 1989 a single large landholder had over 400 UP members murdered.
This followed the trend of the 1990s during the strengthening of Colombian government forces. In June 2016, the FARC signed a ceasefire accord with the President of Colombia, Juan Manuel Santos in Havana.
The initial power-sharing agreement was effective until 1974; nonetheless, with modifications, the Liberal–Conservative bipartisan system lasted until 1990.
Over 70% of all Colombian presidential candidates in 1990—and 100% of those from center-left parties—were assassinated. === Gaviria and Samper presidencies (1990–1998) === During this period, the Colombian government continued its negotiations with the FARC–EP and other armed groups, some of which were successful.
Some of the groups which demobilized at this time include the EPL, the ERP, the Quintín Lame Armed Movement, and the M-19. On 10 August 1990, senior leader Jacobo Arenas, an ideological leader and founder of FARC–EP, died of a heart attack at the Casa Verde compound in Colombia's eastern mountains. Towards the end of 1990, the army, with no advance warning and while negotiations were still ongoing with the group, attacked and seized four linked bases.
The last of these a compound known as Casa Verde, which housed the National Secretariat of the FARC–EP, was seized on 15 December 1990.
During the 1990s, FARC expanded its operations, in some areas, to include trafficking and production, which had provided a significant portion of its funding.
The Colombian government argued that the attack was caused by the FARC–EP's lack of commitment to the process, demonstrated by continuing its criminal activities and FARC attacks in November. On 3 June 1991, dialogue resumed between the Simón Bolívar Guerrilla Coordinating Board and the government on neutral territory in Caracas, Venezuela and Tlaxcala, Mexico.
The negotiation process was broken off in 1993 after no agreement was reached.
From 1996 to 1998 they inflicted a series of strikes on the Colombian Army, including a three-day offensive in Mitú (Vaupés department), taking a large number of soldiers prisoner. On 23 September 1994, the FARC kidnapped American agricultural scientist Thomas Hargrove and held him captive for 11 months.
Indeed, many traffickers would probably welcome, and even assist, increased operations against insurgents." In 1994, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) came to three similar conclusions.
Between 1994 and 2001, Molina and other 16th Front members controlled Barranco Minas, where they collected cocaine from other FARC fronts to sell it to international drug traffickers for payment in currency, weapons and equipment. On 22 March 2006 the Attorney General Alberto Gonzales announced the indictment of fifty leaders of FARC for exporting more than $25 billion worth of cocaine to the United States and other countries.
From 1994 to 1997 the region of Urabá in Antioquia Department was the site of FARC attacks against civilians.
From 1996 to 1998 they inflicted a series of strikes on the Colombian Army, including a three-day offensive in Mitú (Vaupés department), taking a large number of soldiers prisoner. On 23 September 1994, the FARC kidnapped American agricultural scientist Thomas Hargrove and held him captive for 11 months.
Moncayo was kidnapped on 21 December 1997.
In a 1997 interview, FARC-EP Commander Alfonso Cano argued that some guerrilla units continued to do so for "political and economic reasons" in spite of the prohibition issued by the leadership. In 2000, the FARC-EP issued a directive called "Law 002" which demanded a "tax" from all individuals and corporations with assets worth at least US$1 million, warning that those who failed to pay would be detained by the group.
According to the Fundación País Libre anti-kidnapping NGO, an estimated total of 6,778 people were kidnapped by FARC between 1997 and 2007.
From 1994 to 1997 the region of Urabá in Antioquia Department was the site of FARC attacks against civilians.
As such, the FARC has been classified as a terrorist organization by the governments of Colombia, (since 1997) the United States, Canada, Chile, (since 2010) New Zealand, Venezuela (Guaido-led government, since 2019) and (until 2016) the European Union; whereas the governments of Venezuela (Maduro-led government), Brazil, Argentina, Ecuador, and Nicaragua do not.
From 1996 to 1998 they inflicted a series of strikes on the Colombian Army, including a three-day offensive in Mitú (Vaupés department), taking a large number of soldiers prisoner. On 23 September 1994, the FARC kidnapped American agricultural scientist Thomas Hargrove and held him captive for 11 months.
Their report alleged a longstanding connection between the IRA and FARC–EP, mentioned at least 15 IRA members who had been travelling in and out of Colombia since 1998, and estimated that the IRA had received at least $2 million in drug proceeds for training FARC-EP members.
The missing witness, a former police inspector, said he had seen Mr McCauley with FARC-EP members in 1998.
He was a captain and was captured on 1 November 1998.
The bombardment was "followed by troops in helicopters who recovered the bodies of Reyes and another 16 rebels." Reyes was the former FARC chief negotiator during the unsuccessful 1998–2002 peace process, and was also a key FARC hostage release negotiator.
Moncayo was released on 30 March 2010. On 13 June 2010, Colombian troops rescued Police Colonel Luis Herlindo Mendieta Ovalle, Police Captain Enrique Murillo Sanchez and Army Sergeant Arbey Delgado Argote in an event known as Operation Chameleon, twelve years after the individuals were captured; Argote was kidnapped on 3 August 1998.
Ovalle and Sanchez were kidnapped on 1 November 1998.
He was also kidnapped on 3 August 1998. === Santos presidency (2010–2018) === ==== 2010–2011: Increased violence ==== President Juan Manuel Santos began his term with a suspected FARC bomb-blast in Bogotá.
The year 2011 saw over 2,000 incidents of FARC activity, which was the highest figure recorded since 1998.
In 1999, FARC worked with a United Nations alternative development project to enable the transition from coca production to sustainable food production.
Between 1986 and 2001, FARC was responsible for 27 assassinations, 15 threats, and 14 other abuses of indigenous people in Antioquia Department. In March 1999 members of a local FARC contingent killed 3 indigenous rights activists, who were working with the U'Wa people to build a school for U'Wa children, and were fighting against encroachment of U'Wa territory by multinational oil corporations.
government documents online) The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) and the Illicit Drug Trade, Ricardo Vargas Meza, Transnational Institute (TNI), June 1999 Interview with Alfonso Lopez Caballero, The Alligator, 2 February 2009 Who are the victims? - The aftermath of violence in Colombia – (Former combatants in Colombia's internal armed conflict spent two years painting their experiences.
After his release, Hargrove wrote a book about his ordeal which inspired the 2000 film Proof of Life starring Meg Ryan and Russell Crowe. Over this period in Colombia, the cultivation of different drugs expanded and there were widespread coca farmers' marches.
He was kidnapped on 5 December 2000 while jogging in the Caribbean coastal city of Cartagena.
Colombia's Program for Humanitarian Attention for the Demobilized announced in August 2008 that 339 members of Colombia's rebel groups surrendered and handed in their weapons in July, including 282 guerrillas from the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia. Óscar Tulio Lizcano, a Colombian Conservative Party congressman, was kidnapped 5 August 2000.
Lower prices paid for raw coca in paramilitary-controlled areas lead to significantly larger profits for the drug processing and trafficking organizations, which means that they generally prefer that paramilitaries control an area rather than FARC. In 2000, FARC Spokesman Simon Trinidad said that taxes on drug laboratories represented an important part of the organization's income, although he didn't say how much it was.
In a 1997 interview, FARC-EP Commander Alfonso Cano argued that some guerrilla units continued to do so for "political and economic reasons" in spite of the prohibition issued by the leadership. In 2000, the FARC-EP issued a directive called "Law 002" which demanded a "tax" from all individuals and corporations with assets worth at least US$1 million, warning that those who failed to pay would be detained by the group.
The government's revised figures were considered "absurdly low" by Fundación País Libre, which has argued that its own archives suggest an estimated 1,617 people taken hostage between 2000 and 2008 remain in the hands of their captors, including hundreds seized by FARC.
The IRA/FARC-EP connection was first made public on 11 August 2001, following the arrest in Bogotá of two IRA explosives and urban warfare experts and of a representative of Sinn Féin who was known to be stationed in Cuba.
Jim Monaghan, Martin McCauley and Niall Connolly (known as the Colombia Three), were arrested in Colombia in August 2001 and were accused of teaching bomb-making methods to FARC–EP. On 15 February 2002, the Colombia Three were charged with training FARC-EP members in bomb-making in Colombia.
They could have spent up to 20 years in gaol if the allegations were proved. During October 2001, a key witness in the case against the three Irish republicans disappeared.
Jara (kidnapped in 2001) was released on 3 February and López (kidnapped in 2002) was released on 5 February. On 17 March 2009, The FARC-EP released Swedish hostage Erik Roland Larsson.
He defended this funding source, arguing that drug trade was endemic in Colombia because it had pervaded many sectors of its economy. After 21 April 2001 capture of Brazilian drug lord Luiz Fernando da Costa (a.k.a.
Between 1994 and 2001, Molina and other 16th Front members controlled Barranco Minas, where they collected cocaine from other FARC fronts to sell it to international drug traffickers for payment in currency, weapons and equipment. On 22 March 2006 the Attorney General Alberto Gonzales announced the indictment of fifty leaders of FARC for exporting more than $25 billion worth of cocaine to the United States and other countries.
In 2001, FARC Commander Simón Trinidad claimed that the FARC-EP does not engage in kidnapping but instead "retains [individuals] in order to obtain resources needed for our struggle".
FARC has also executed civilians for failing to pay "war taxes" to their group. In 2001, Human Rights Watch (HRW) announced that the FARC-EP had abducted and executed civilians accused of supporting paramilitary groups in the demilitarized zone and elsewhere, without providing any legal defense mechanisms to the suspects and generally refusing to give any information to relatives of the victims.
Between 1986 and 2001, FARC was responsible for 27 assassinations, 15 threats, and 14 other abuses of indigenous people in Antioquia Department. In March 1999 members of a local FARC contingent killed 3 indigenous rights activists, who were working with the U'Wa people to build a school for U'Wa children, and were fighting against encroachment of U'Wa territory by multinational oil corporations.
According to the Colombian government, FARC–EP had an estimated 6,000–8,000 members in 2008, down from 16,000 in 2001, and lost much of its fighting force since President Álvaro Uribe took office in 2002.
The Colombian Ministry of Defense reported 19,504 deserters, or individually demobilized members, from the FARC between August 2002 and their collective demobilization in 2017, despite potentially severe punishment, including execution, for attempted desertion in the FARC. In 2012, the FARC made 239 attacks on the energy infrastructure.
Betancourt was rescued by the Colombian government on 2 July 2008 (see Operation Jaque below). ==== The Colombia Three case ==== On 24 April 2002, the U.S.
Jim Monaghan, Martin McCauley and Niall Connolly (known as the Colombia Three), were arrested in Colombia in August 2001 and were accused of teaching bomb-making methods to FARC–EP. On 15 February 2002, the Colombia Three were charged with training FARC-EP members in bomb-making in Colombia.
Colombian vice-president Francisco Santos Calderón did not rule out allowing them to serve their sentences in Ireland. === Uribe Presidency (2002–2010) === ==== 2002–2007 ==== For most of the period between 2002 and 2005, the FARC-EP was in a strategic withdrawal due to the increasing military and police actions of new president Álvaro Uribe, which led to the capture or desertion of many fighters and medium-level commanders.
This demand was rejected by the Colombian government based on previous experience during the 2002 peace talks. On 2 December 2004, the government announced the pardon of 23 FARC–EP prisoners, to encourage a reciprocal move.
He was reunited with his family on 15 May 2007. ==== 2007 death of 11 hostage deputies ==== On 28 June 2007, the FARC–EP reported the death of 11 out of 12 provincial deputies from the Valle del Cauca Department whom the guerrillas had kidnapped in 2002.
Jara (kidnapped in 2001) was released on 3 February and López (kidnapped in 2002) was released on 5 February. On 17 March 2009, The FARC-EP released Swedish hostage Erik Roland Larsson.
They also claimed that he received armed protection from the guerrilla group. On 18 March 2002 the Attorney General of the United States John Ashcroft indicted leaders of the FARC after an 18-month investigation into their narcotics trafficking.
According to the Colombian government, FARC–EP had an estimated 6,000–8,000 members in 2008, down from 16,000 in 2001, and lost much of its fighting force since President Álvaro Uribe took office in 2002.
Without his testimony, legal sources said the chances of convicting the three men were reduced. They were eventually found guilty of travelling on false passports in June 2004 but were acquitted of training FARC-EP members.
However, they vanished in December 2004 while on bail and returned to Ireland.
This demand was rejected by the Colombian government based on previous experience during the 2002 peace talks. On 2 December 2004, the government announced the pardon of 23 FARC–EP prisoners, to encourage a reciprocal move.
In November 2004, the FARC–EP had rejected a proposal to hand over 59 of its captives in exchange for 50 guerrillas imprisoned by the government. In a communique dated 28 November but released publicly on 3 December, the FARC-EP declared that they were no longer insisting on the demilitarisation of San Vicente del Caguán and Cartagena del Chairá as a precondition for the negotiation of the prisoner exchange, but instead that of Florida and Pradera in the Valle department.
On 17 December 2004, the Colombian government authorised Trinidad's extradition to the United States, but stated that the measure could be revoked if the FARC-EP released all political hostages and military captives in its possession before 30 December.
In a televised speech, Colombia's U.S.-allied president, Álvaro Uribe, thanked Chávez for his efforts. During the period she was held kidnapped in the jungle in 2004, Clara Rojas gave birth to her son by Caesarean.
According to a 2012 research from the National Indigenous Organization of Colombia (ONIC), 80,000 members of indigenous communities have been displaced from their native lands since 2004 because of FARC-related violence. Luis Evelis, an indigenous leader and ONIC representative, has stated that "the armed conflict is still in force, causing damages to the indigenous.
Colombian vice-president Francisco Santos Calderón did not rule out allowing them to serve their sentences in Ireland. === Uribe Presidency (2002–2010) === ==== 2002–2007 ==== For most of the period between 2002 and 2005, the FARC-EP was in a strategic withdrawal due to the increasing military and police actions of new president Álvaro Uribe, which led to the capture or desertion of many fighters and medium-level commanders.
Overall FARC operations, including attacks against security forces as well as kidnappings and the use of land mines, have increased every year since 2005.
The NGO has stated that while most of these incidents remain defensive in nature and were not like the large offensives from years past, FARC actions grew since 2005, and the rebel group was carrying out intense operations against small and medium-sized Colombian military units in vulnerable areas. Colombian troops killed FARC leader Alfonso Cano in a firefight on 4 November 2011.
The FARC-EP rejected the demand. On 25 March 2006, after a public announcement made weeks earlier, the FARC–EP released two captured policemen at La Dorada, Putumayo.
Military operations in the area and bad weather had prevented the release from occurring one week earlier. In a separate series of events, civilian hostage and German citizen Lothar Hintze was released by FARC–EP on 4 April 2006, after five years in captivity.
Hintze had been kidnapped for extortion purposes, and his wife had paid three ransom payments without any result. One prisoner, Julian Ernesto Guevara Castro, a police officer, died of tuberculosis on 28 January 2006.
The FARC handed over Guevara's remains on 1 April 2010. Another civilian hostage, Fernando Araújo, later named Minister of Foreign Relations and formerly Development Minister, escaped his captors on 31 December 2006.
Between 1994 and 2001, Molina and other 16th Front members controlled Barranco Minas, where they collected cocaine from other FARC fronts to sell it to international drug traffickers for payment in currency, weapons and equipment. On 22 March 2006 the Attorney General Alberto Gonzales announced the indictment of fifty leaders of FARC for exporting more than $25 billion worth of cocaine to the United States and other countries.
In 2007, FARC–EP Commander Raúl Reyes claimed that their force consisted of 18,000 guerrillas. According to a report from Human Rights Watch in 2006, approximately 10–15% of the recruits were minors, some of whom were forced to join the FARC, while women comprise around 40 percent of the guerilla army. FARC was organized hierarchically into military units as follows: Central High Command – composed of a five-member Secretariat (one of them being the Commander-in-Chief) and two "supplements".
He was reunited with his family on 5 January 2007. Another prisoner, Frank Pinchao, a police officer, escaped his captors on 28 April 2007 after nine years in captivity.
He was reunited with his family on 15 May 2007. ==== 2007 death of 11 hostage deputies ==== On 28 June 2007, the FARC–EP reported the death of 11 out of 12 provincial deputies from the Valle del Cauca Department whom the guerrillas had kidnapped in 2002.
All of them were captured in 2007.
Larsson was kidnapped from his ranch in Tierralta, not far from where he was freed, on 16 May 2007, along with his Colombian girlfriend, Diana Patricia Pena while paying workers.
According to the Fundación País Libre anti-kidnapping NGO, an estimated total of 6,778 people were kidnapped by FARC between 1997 and 2007.
In 2007, FARC–EP Commander Raúl Reyes claimed that their force consisted of 18,000 guerrillas. According to a report from Human Rights Watch in 2006, approximately 10–15% of the recruits were minors, some of whom were forced to join the FARC, while women comprise around 40 percent of the guerilla army. FARC was organized hierarchically into military units as follows: Central High Command – composed of a five-member Secretariat (one of them being the Commander-in-Chief) and two "supplements".
Meanwhile, from 2008 to 2017, the FARC opted to attack police patrols with home-made mortars, sniper rifles, and explosives, as they were not considered strong enough to engage police units directly.
Betancourt was rescued by the Colombian government on 2 July 2008 (see Operation Jaque below). ==== The Colombia Three case ==== On 24 April 2002, the U.S.
He survived after previously being punished for insubordination and was held in chains nearby but separated from the rest of the group. ==== Early-2008 prisoner events ==== On 10 January 2008, former vice presidential candidate Clara Rojas and former congresswoman Consuelo González were freed after nearly six years in captivity.
Asked about her opinion of the FARC–EP as group, Rojas called it "a criminal organisation", condemning its kidnappings as "a total violation of human dignity" and saying some captive police and soldiers are constantly chained. On 31 January 2008, the FARC–EP announced that they would release civilian hostages Luis Eladio Perez Bonilla, Gloria Polanco, and Orlando Beltran Cuellar to Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez as a humanitarian gesture.
On 27 February 2008, the three hostages and Jorge Eduardo Gechem Turbay (who was added to the list due to his poor health) were released by FARC–EP.
He said Colombia was still in a fight "against terrorist actions" but was open to reconciliation. ==== Anti-FARC rallies ==== On 4 February 2008, anti-FARC protests were held in 45 Colombian cities and towns, with an estimated 1.5 million people coming out in Bogotá alone.
It came as a result of heavy Colombian military pressure and a reward offer of up to $5 million from the Colombian government. After the attack, the Colombian military forced managed to secure six laptop computers belonging to Reyes, in which they found information linking several left wing Colombian personalities, such as politicians, journalists and human rights activists with terrorist activities. Manuel Marulanda Vélez died on 26 March 2008 after a heart attack.
His death would be kept a secret, until Colombian magazine Semana published an interview with Colombian defence minister Juan Manuel Santos on 24 May 2008 in which Santos mentions the death of Manuel Marulanda Vélez.
The news was confirmed by FARC–EP commander "Timochenko" on Latin American television station teleSUR on 25 May 2008.
However, on 13 January 2008, Chávez retracted his previous statement and stated his disapproval of the FARC–EP strategy of armed struggle and kidnapping, saying "I don't agree with kidnapping and I don't agree with armed struggle".
At this moment in Latin America, an armed guerrilla movement is out of place". On 2 July 2008, under a Colombian military operation called Operation Jaque, the FARC–EP was tricked by the Colombian Government into releasing 15 captives to Colombian Intelligence agents disguised as journalists and international aid workers in a helicopter rescue.
Colombia's Program for Humanitarian Attention for the Demobilized announced in August 2008 that 339 members of Colombia's rebel groups surrendered and handed in their weapons in July, including 282 guerrillas from the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia. Óscar Tulio Lizcano, a Colombian Conservative Party congressman, was kidnapped 5 August 2000.
On Sunday, 26 October 2008, the ex-congressman escaped from FARC–EP rebels.
He became the 22nd Colombian political hostage to gain freedom during 2008. During his final days in captivity, Lizcano told Santos, they had nothing to eat but wild palm hearts and sugar cane.
The of jungle in Colombia makes it hard to track them down to fight. ==== 2009 prisoner events ==== On 21 December 2008, The FARC–EP announced that they would release civilian hostages Alan Jara, Sigifredo López, three low-ranking police officers and a low-ranking soldier to Senator Piedad Córdoba as a humanitarian gesture.
In 2008, press reports estimated that about 700 hostages continued to be held captive by FARC.
The government's revised figures were considered "absurdly low" by Fundación País Libre, which has argued that its own archives suggest an estimated 1,617 people taken hostage between 2000 and 2008 remain in the hands of their captors, including hundreds seized by FARC.
FARC claimed at the time that it was holding nine people for ransom in addition to hostages kept for a prisoner exchange. In 2008, Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez expressed his disagreement with FARC-EP's resorting to kidnappings.
According to the Colombian government, FARC–EP had an estimated 6,000–8,000 members in 2008, down from 16,000 in 2001, and lost much of its fighting force since President Álvaro Uribe took office in 2002.
Within each front, there were combat, support, and infrastructure elements. Column – 2+ companies Company – 2+ guerrillas Guerrilla – 2 squads Squad – +/- 12 combatants The FARC–EP secretariat was led by Alfonso Cano and six others after the death of Manuel Marulanda (Pedro Antonio Marín), also known as "Tirofijo", or Sureshot, in 2008.
The "international spokesman" of the organization was Raúl Reyes, who was killed in a Colombian army raid against a guerrilla camp in Ecuador on 1 March 2008.
In 2008, Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez recognized the FARC–EP as a proper army.
On 29 March 2009, the FARC-EP announced that they would give Guevara's remains to his mother.
The Red Cross also reported that the deputies had been killed by multiple close-range shots, many of them in the backs of the victims, and even two by shots to the head. In February 2009, Sigifredo López, the only deputy who survived and was later released by FARC, accused the group of killing the 11 captives and denied that any military rescue attempt had taken place.
The of jungle in Colombia makes it hard to track them down to fight. ==== 2009 prisoner events ==== On 21 December 2008, The FARC–EP announced that they would release civilian hostages Alan Jara, Sigifredo López, three low-ranking police officers and a low-ranking soldier to Senator Piedad Córdoba as a humanitarian gesture.
On 1 February 2009, the FARC–EP proceeded with the release of the four security force members, Juan Fernando Galicio Uribe, José Walter Lozano Guarnizo, Alexis Torres Zapata and William Giovanni Domínguez Castro.
Jara (kidnapped in 2001) was released on 3 February and López (kidnapped in 2002) was released on 5 February. On 17 March 2009, The FARC-EP released Swedish hostage Erik Roland Larsson.
One of Larsson's sons said that the ransom was not paid. On 22 December 2009, the body of Luis Francisco Cuéllar, the Governor of Caquetá, was discovered, a day after he had been kidnapped from his house in Florencia, Caquetá.
The group said that they kidnapped him in order to "put him on trial for corruption" and blamed his death on an attempt to rescue him by force. On 16 April 2009, the FARC-EP announced that they would release Army Corporal Pablo Emilio Moncayo Cabrera to Piedad Córdoba as a humanitarian gesture.
On 28 June 2009, the FARC announced that they would release soldier Josue Daniel Calvo Sanchez.
Calvo was kidnapped on 20 April 2009.
In 2009, the state's anti-kidnapping agency Fondelibertad reviewed 3,307 officially unsettled cases and removed those that had already been resolved or for which there was insufficient information.
government documents online) The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) and the Illicit Drug Trade, Ricardo Vargas Meza, Transnational Institute (TNI), June 1999 Interview with Alfonso Lopez Caballero, The Alligator, 2 February 2009 Who are the victims? - The aftermath of violence in Colombia – (Former combatants in Colombia's internal armed conflict spent two years painting their experiences.
The FARC handed over Guevara's remains on 1 April 2010. Another civilian hostage, Fernando Araújo, later named Minister of Foreign Relations and formerly Development Minister, escaped his captors on 31 December 2006.
In a statement broadcast on radio, the acting governor, Patricia Vega, said, "I no longer have any doubts that FARC has done it again." The FARC claimed responsibility for Cuéllar's kidnapping and murder in January 2010.
Calvo was released on 28 March 2010.
Moncayo was released on 30 March 2010. On 13 June 2010, Colombian troops rescued Police Colonel Luis Herlindo Mendieta Ovalle, Police Captain Enrique Murillo Sanchez and Army Sergeant Arbey Delgado Argote in an event known as Operation Chameleon, twelve years after the individuals were captured; Argote was kidnapped on 3 August 1998.
He was also kidnapped on 3 August 1998. === Santos presidency (2010–2018) === ==== 2010–2011: Increased violence ==== President Juan Manuel Santos began his term with a suspected FARC bomb-blast in Bogotá.
The same organisation also stated that the military offensive had been able to reduce FARC territorial control and push guerillas to more remote and sparsely populated regions, often close to territorial or internal borders. Colombian authorities announced the death of Víctor Julio Suárez Rojas, also known as Mono Jojoy, on 23 September 2010.
After this event, the FARC-EP released a statement saying that defeating the group would not bring peace to Colombia and called for a negotiated solution, not surrender, to the social and political conflict. In January 2011 Juan Manuel Santos admitted that FARC-EP had killed 460 government soldiers and wounded over 2,000 in 2010.
In the first six months of 2011 the FARC carried out an estimated 1,115 actions, which constitutes a 10% increase over the same period in 2010. By early 2011 Colombian authorities and news media reported that the FARC and the clandestine sister groups had partly shifted strategy from guerrilla warfare to "a war of militias", meaning that they were increasingly operating in civilian clothes while hiding amongst sympathizers in the civilian population.
The indigenous organization also demanded the immediate end of all violence and conflict within indigenous territories and called for a negotiated solution to the war. Official Colombian government statistics show that murders of indigenous people between January and May 2011 have increased 38% compared to the same timeframe in 2010.
As such, the FARC has been classified as a terrorist organization by the governments of Colombia, (since 1997) the United States, Canada, Chile, (since 2010) New Zealand, Venezuela (Guaido-led government, since 2019) and (until 2016) the European Union; whereas the governments of Venezuela (Maduro-led government), Brazil, Argentina, Ecuador, and Nicaragua do not.
After this event, the FARC-EP released a statement saying that defeating the group would not bring peace to Colombia and called for a negotiated solution, not surrender, to the social and political conflict. In January 2011 Juan Manuel Santos admitted that FARC-EP had killed 460 government soldiers and wounded over 2,000 in 2010.
In April 2011 the Colombian congress issued a statement saying that FARC has a "strong presence" in roughly one third of the municipalities in Colombia, while their attacks have increased.
In the first six months of 2011 the FARC carried out an estimated 1,115 actions, which constitutes a 10% increase over the same period in 2010. By early 2011 Colombian authorities and news media reported that the FARC and the clandestine sister groups had partly shifted strategy from guerrilla warfare to "a war of militias", meaning that they were increasingly operating in civilian clothes while hiding amongst sympathizers in the civilian population.
In early January 2011 the Colombian army said that the FARC has some 18,000 members, with 9,000 of those forming part of the militias.
The army says it has identified at least 1,400 such militia members in the FARC strongholds of Valle del Cauca and Cauca in 2011.
In June 2011 Colombian chief of staff Edgar Cely claimed that the FARC wants to "urbanize their actions", which could partly explain the increased guerrilla activity in Medellín and particularly Cali.
Jeremy McDermott, co-director of Insight Crime, estimates that FARC may have some 30,000 'part-time fighters' in 2011, consisting of both armed and unarmed civilian supporters making up the rebel militia network, instead of full-time fighters wearing uniforms. According to Corporación Nuevo Arco Iris, FARC-EP killed 429 members of the Colombian government's security forces between January and October 2011.
The year 2011 saw over 2,000 incidents of FARC activity, which was the highest figure recorded since 1998.
The NGO has stated that while most of these incidents remain defensive in nature and were not like the large offensives from years past, FARC actions grew since 2005, and the rebel group was carrying out intense operations against small and medium-sized Colombian military units in vulnerable areas. Colombian troops killed FARC leader Alfonso Cano in a firefight on 4 November 2011.
Police Sergeant Luis Alberto Erazo Maya managed to escape his captors and was later rescued. The Colombian military had information indicating that there could be captives in the area and initiated Operation Jupiter in October 2011, using a 56 men Special Forces unit to carry out surveillance for preparing a future rescue mission that would involve additional troops and air support.
The hostages were working for the Emerald Energy oil company, a British-based subsidiary of China's Sinochem Group, when they were kidnapped on 8 June 2011.
The indigenous organization also demanded the immediate end of all violence and conflict within indigenous territories and called for a negotiated solution to the war. Official Colombian government statistics show that murders of indigenous people between January and May 2011 have increased 38% compared to the same timeframe in 2010.
Cano was killed in a military operation on 4 November 2011. FARC–EP was open to a negotiated solution to the nation's conflict through dialogue with a flexible government that agreed to certain conditions, such as the demilitarization of certain areas, cessation of paramilitary and government violence against rural peasants, social reforms to reduce poverty and inequality, and the release of all jailed (and extradited) FARC–EP rebels.
The Colombian Ministry of Defense reported 19,504 deserters, or individually demobilized members, from the FARC between August 2002 and their collective demobilization in 2017, despite potentially severe punishment, including execution, for attempted desertion in the FARC. In 2012, the FARC made 239 attacks on the energy infrastructure.
On 26 February 2012, the FARC announced that they would release their remaining ten political hostages.
The hostages were released on 2 April 2012.
The president of Colombia, Juan Manuel Santos, said that this incident was "not enough", and asked the FARC to release the civilian hostages they possess. On 22 November 2012, the FARC released four Chinese oil workers.
Authorities identified the freed men as Tang Guofu, Zhao Hongwei, Jian Mingfu, and Jiang Shan. Santos announced on 27 August 2012 that the Colombian government has engaged in talks with FARC in order to seek an end to the conflict: Exploratory conversations have been held with the FARC to find an end to the conflict.
In late 2012, FARC declared a two-month unilateral cease-fire and said that they would be open to extending it as a bilateral truce afterwards during the rest of the negotiations.
fumigation planes should be shot down. On 11 October 2012 Jamal Yousef, a.k.a.
Former President Fidel Castro of Cuba also criticized the use of hostage-taking by the guerrillas as "objectively cruel" and suggested that the group free all of its prisoners and hostages. In February 2012, FARC announced that it would release ten members of the security forces, who it described as political prisoners, representing the last such captives in its custody.
According to a 2012 research from the National Indigenous Organization of Colombia (ONIC), 80,000 members of indigenous communities have been displaced from their native lands since 2004 because of FARC-related violence. Luis Evelis, an indigenous leader and ONIC representative, has stated that "the armed conflict is still in force, causing damages to the indigenous.
During Santos' presidency, private security and proclaimed self-defense movements have also lost their legitimacy. On 27 May 2013, it was announced that one of the most contentious issues had been resolved.
By 2014, the FARC were not seeking to engage in outright combat with the army, instead concentrating on small-scale ambushes against isolated army units.
This followed the trend of the 1990s during the strengthening of Colombian government forces. In June 2016, the FARC signed a ceasefire accord with the President of Colombia, Juan Manuel Santos in Havana.
On 25 August 2016, the Colombian president, Juan Manuel Santos, announced that four years of negotiation had secured a peace deal with FARC and that a national referendum would take place on 2 October.
FARC leaders can avoid prosecution by acts of reparation to victims and other community work. On 2 October 2016 Colombians voted and rejected the peace deal with FARC by 50.2% to 49.8%. The government met with victims and peace opponents after the referendum was rejected, receiving over 500 proposed changes, and continued to negotiate with FARC.
A revised agreement announced on 12 November 2016, which would require parliamentary approval rather than a nationwide referendum.
As such, the FARC has been classified as a terrorist organization by the governments of Colombia, (since 1997) the United States, Canada, Chile, (since 2010) New Zealand, Venezuela (Guaido-led government, since 2019) and (until 2016) the European Union; whereas the governments of Venezuela (Maduro-led government), Brazil, Argentina, Ecuador, and Nicaragua do not.
The Colombian Ministry of Defense reported 19,504 deserters, or individually demobilized members, from the FARC between August 2002 and their collective demobilization in 2017, despite potentially severe punishment, including execution, for attempted desertion in the FARC. In 2012, the FARC made 239 attacks on the energy infrastructure.
Meanwhile, from 2008 to 2017, the FARC opted to attack police patrols with home-made mortars, sniper rifles, and explosives, as they were not considered strong enough to engage police units directly.
The Colombian government and the FARC on 12 November 24 signed a revised peace deal, which the Colombian Congress approved on 30 November. On 27 June 2017, FARC ceased to be an armed group, disarming itself and handing over its weapons to the United Nations.
The rebels stayed in the zones until 31 May, after which they were registered and reintegrated into civilian life. On 27 June 2017, the FARC ceased to be an armed group, with its forces disarming and handing more than 7,000 weapons to the United Nations at a ceremony hosted by the FARC leadership, and the Colombian government, which included the Cabinet and President Juan Manuel Santos.
At the end of a six-day visit to Colombia, on 9 October 2017 the UN Assistant Secretary-General for human rights Andrew Gilmour issued statement welcoming progress in the demobilization and disarmament of the FARC.
Venezuela has served as the primary location for many FARC dissidents. On 15 July 2018, the Colombian and Peruvian governments launched a joint military effort known as Operation Armageddon to combat FARC dissidents.
However, about 2,000 to 2,500 FARC dissidents still take on FARC's original doctrine and continue with drug trafficking, though far smaller than the group at its peak. A small faction of FARC leaders announced a return to armed activity on 29 August 2019, stating that the Colombian government did not respect peace agreements, a position Colombian officials disagreed with.
However, he expressed, "concern about problems in the implementation of the accords which relate to the continued attacks against human rights defenders and community leaders." === Duque presidency (2018–present) === ==== Membership in Colombian Congress ==== On 20 July 2019, ten former FARC members, including former senior leader Pablo Catatumbo, were sworn in as members of the Congress of Colombia.
As part of the peace agreement, these ten seats will remain under control of members from the Common Alternative Revolutionary Force until 2026. ==== 2019: Attempt to reinstate FARC ==== In a video published on 29 August 2019, former second-in-command FARC leader Iván Márquez announced his return to arms in the name of the guerrilla movement.
As such, the FARC has been classified as a terrorist organization by the governments of Colombia, (since 1997) the United States, Canada, Chile, (since 2010) New Zealand, Venezuela (Guaido-led government, since 2019) and (until 2016) the European Union; whereas the governments of Venezuela (Maduro-led government), Brazil, Argentina, Ecuador, and Nicaragua do not.
Duque also accused Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro of assisting FARC and providing a safe haven for militants in Venezuela. ====2020–2021==== General Luis Fernando Navarro asserted on January 5, 2021 that FARC lost 1,500 members in 2020.
Duque also accused Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro of assisting FARC and providing a safe haven for militants in Venezuela. ====2020–2021==== General Luis Fernando Navarro asserted on January 5, 2021 that FARC lost 1,500 members in 2020.
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