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The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC)

The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). FARC Background. Colombia's oldest and largest guerrilla group Established in 1966 as the military wing of the Colombian Communist Party (CCP) Broke from CCP and created the Clandestine Colombian Communist Party (CCCP)

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The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC)

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  1. The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC)

  2. FARC Background • Colombia's oldest and largest guerrilla group • Established in 1966 as the military wing of the Colombian Communist Party (CCP) • Broke from CCP and created the Clandestine Colombian Communist Party (CCCP) • Estimated 18,000-20,000 fighting members on at least 80 fronts throughout Colombia

  3. FARC Background Cont. • FARC is classified as a terrorist group by U.S. and European Union • Proclaimed itself a politico-military Marxist Leninist organization • Ideology in Marxist Bourgeois system • Claims to represent poor rural class against Colombia’s wealthy classes • Opposes U.S. influence/interference • FARC ultimate objective is an armed revolution in Colofmbia

  4. FARC Background • Majority of fighters come from poor rural background - 80% are peasants • Mostly uneducated • Most members join FARC for revolutionary adventurism and pay • FARC pays members $350 a month -Colombian Army pays $250 • Majority of recruits are teens -male and female

  5. Activities • Bombings, murder, mortar attacks, narcotic trafficking, • Guerrilla and conventional military action against Colombian political, military, and economic targets • Hijacking, kidnapping & extortion • Foreign citizens often are targets of FARC - Westerners in particular

  6. Operations& Finance • FARC collects 400 million a year from the drug trade • FARC forcibly recruits teenagers • In the last decade more than 200 bombs have been blown up in Colombiann cities • Averages of 5 people a day are kidnapped by guerrillas to finance their insurgence. • Their use of laptops at road blocks allows them to check the bank account of divers – giving them information allowing them to kidnap the richest

  7. Casualties • Four presidential candidates • More than 200 judges • 1200 polices officers • More than 100 journalists More than 200,000 Colombian citizens have been murdered by FARC

  8. Major Events • April 17, 2001 a powerful car bomb detonated in a Colombian provincial capital killing at least 12 people and wounding more than 60 • June 28, 2002 a catholic priest who was critical of leftist rebels was shot dead in front of a church where he had just performed a mass

  9. Kidnappings • Recently killed the governor of Mr. Uribe’s home department of Antioquia a former defense minister who was kidnapped in April of 2002 while leading a march • In 2001 there was a prisoner swap in which 363 captives – police and soldiers – were exchanged for 15 jailed guerrilla members • Unfortunately this prisoner swap has encouraged more kidnappings of prominent politicians to use as bargaining chips

  10. Political Attacks • Mortar shells fired into crowd that was attending Colombia’s new president (Alvaro Uribe) inauguration in 2002- ended up killing 18 and injured 69 • Kidnapped Colombian Presidential Candidate Ingrid Betancourt in 2002; she was rescued by Colombian forces in 2008 along with 14 other captives, 3 of which were Americans

  11. Assaults on the Church • In 1999, there were 25 evangelical pastors murdered • Guerrillas have forced some 300 evangelical churches to close

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