NIU Intro to Latina/o and Latin American Studies Fall 2013 Blog : Guerilla Armies: FARC

For almost half a century (1964-Present) the Columbian government and peasant guerillas have been in conflict with one another. One of the peasant guerilla groups, FACR (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia) also known as the “peoples army”, is a guerilla organization that was created in an attempt to protect the rights of poor from the Columbian government. A series of events led to the creation of guerilla groups with the emergence of the conflict in Colombia coming before this in 1920’s. Peasant farmers fought over ownership of coffee lands as they were being mistreated by large-landowners. When the Colombian conservative and Colombian liberal parties took sides in the conflict, it only worsened. When populist presidential candidate Jorge Eliécer Gaitån was assassinated, this set off a series of riots known as the Bagatzo riot of 1948 and eventually leading to a period of violence and political unrest in Colombia which is referred to as La Volencia.

By 1964 guerilla armies like the FARC were formed. They hoped to bring up the peasants and enable them to be able to be able to hold higher societal and governmental positions. By the 1980's the FARC got support from the poorer areas of the countryside as the government was unable to control drug cartels. Over 18,000 people (men and women) manned the FARC armies. However, they began to be seen as a threat. Soon the Colombian government broke down many of the drug cartels. The guerillas who got much of their commission from the drug industry resorted to kidnapping and extortion for financing. Because of this they became feared and despised by the people. For a group that is known as the "people's army" to be hated by the people (whom they were supposedly helping) is not a good thing.

Today, the FARC is known as Colombia's largest and most greatly equipped rebel group. The FARC currently runs in almost half the country. They are known for most of the kidnappings and assassinations targeting rich landowners and foreign tourists. They are widely known for receiving most of their funds from the drug trade. They also oppose American influence in Colombia, especially Plan Colombia. Pan Colombia is the United States' 1.5 billion initiative to equip the Colombian military to eradicate coca. The U.S.A'S main plan is to curb drug smuggling and combat the rise of the left-wing by supporting these different activities in colombia. This has helped cut the production of cocaine in Colombia and with this, decreased the income of the FARC whom the U.S and Colombia now see as terrorist groups. After the terrorist attack of September 11, 2001 the united states has made stronger the solution of American officials that terrorist groups be combated through military means. If the FARC is to continue with its use of kidnappings, assassinations, and other violent means of supporting its position, they are in for a difficult time. The support of these groups from the people of colombia has continued to decrease. From what most Colombians and many countries see, what began as a group to help peasant people by promoting their ideas and interests, has turned into a fight for power.