Northwestern Bloc of the FARC-EP
Encyclopedia
The Northwestern Bloc of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia
, also known as the Iván Ríos
Bloc has historically been a strong influence in the Medellín
and Antioquia regions, and still is today. It has been among the blocs most seriously targeted by Álvaro Uribe
's defense plan and the Colombian Army
's offensive. Due to this, the bloc has been forced to retreat to more remote areas of the countryside and has lost the dominance it once had in the area. The specific divisions of the group are arguable. Because of the current conflict existing in the country, much of the information recovered is conflicting. Some of the believed divisions or "fronts", as they are commonly called, are shown below. Many of these fronts sometimes work together towards a certain mission, while others are further divided into "columns" and "companies" with a smaller number of members. For more general information see FARC-EP Chain of Command
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.
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and Antioquia Department
s. The Colombian military claimed in 2008 that this front had been dismantled.
On May 19, 2008, Karina surrendered herself to the Colombian authorities, two weeks after president Uribe guaranteed her safety on her surrender. According to the governor of Antioquia, Luis Alfredo Ramos, she was also urged by her family to surrender.
.
and Córdoba Department
s.
region.
Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia
The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia – People's Army is a Marxist–Leninist revolutionary guerrilla organization based in Colombia which is involved in the ongoing Colombian armed conflict, currently involved in drug dealing and crimes against the civilians..FARC-EP is a peasant army which...
, also known as the Iván Ríos
Iván Ríos
José Juvenal Velandia, aka Iván Ríos, aka Manuel Jesús Muñoz Ortiz, , born in San Francisco, Putumayo, Colombia, was the Head of the Central Bloc of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia and the youngest member of this guerrilla's Central High Command.-Death:Ríos was killed by his security...
Bloc has historically been a strong influence in the Medellín
Medellín
Medellín , officially the Municipio de Medellín or Municipality of Medellín, is the second largest city in Colombia. It is in the Aburrá Valley, one of the more northerly of the Andes in South America. It has a population of 2.3 million...
and Antioquia regions, and still is today. It has been among the blocs most seriously targeted by Álvaro Uribe
Álvaro Uribe
Alvaro Uribe Vélez was the 58th President of Colombia, from 2002 to 2010. In August 2010 he was appointed Vice-chairman of the UN panel investigating the Gaza flotilla raid....
's defense plan and the Colombian Army
Colombian Army
The National Army of Colombia is the land military force of the government of Colombia and the largest service of the Colombian Armed Forces...
's offensive. Due to this, the bloc has been forced to retreat to more remote areas of the countryside and has lost the dominance it once had in the area. The specific divisions of the group are arguable. Because of the current conflict existing in the country, much of the information recovered is conflicting. Some of the believed divisions or "fronts", as they are commonly called, are shown below. Many of these fronts sometimes work together towards a certain mission, while others are further divided into "columns" and "companies" with a smaller number of members. For more general information see FARC-EP Chain of Command
FARC-EP Chain of Command
The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia's chain of command is divided as follows:# Commander in Chief of the FARC-EP, ultimate decision maker...
.
Commanders
| Alias Pseudonym A pseudonym is a name that a person assumes for a particular purpose and that differs from his or her original orthonym... |
Name | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Iván Márquez Iván Márquez Luciano Marín Arango, aka "Iván Márquez" is a Colombian guerrilla leader, member of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia , part of its Secretariat higher command and advisor to the Northwestern and Caribbean blocs.According to the news agency Anncol it is likely that Márquez will be the new... |
Luciano Marín Arango | |
| Jesus Santrich | Seusis Hernández |
5th Front
Also known as the Antonio Nariño Front, this front is composed by up to 350 combatants and operates mostly in the Urabá region of the Antioquia DepartmentAntioquia Department
Antioquia is one of the 32 departments of Colombia, located in the central northwestern part of Colombia with a narrow section that borders the Caribbean Sea. Most of its territory is mountainous with some valleys, much of which is part of the Andes mountain range...
.
| Alias | Name | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Jacobo | Luis Carlos Durango Úsuga | Arrested in 2003. |
| "La Muerte" or "Hermes" | Héctor Elías Úsuga Higuita | Killed in April 2011. |
| "Ramirito" | Ramiro Antonio Montoya Moreno | Ringleader, killed in November 2011. |
9th Front
Also known as the Atanasio Girardot Front, this front is composed 45 to 50 combatants and operates mostly in the Antioquia Department. The Colombian military claims that this front has now been dismantled.| Alias | Name | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Danilo | Iván de Jesús Zuluaga | Killed in 2009 |
| Gabriel | Second in command | |
| Salomón | Third in command | |
| Alonso, Chamizo | Tulio Murillo Ávila | Arrested in 2005. |
| Caliche | Virgilio de Jesús Guzmán | Demobilized in 2006. |
| David | Sebastián Hernández Giraldo | Arrested in February 14th, 2011 . |
18th Front
This front is composed by up to 150 combatants and operates mostly in the Córdoba DepartmentCórdoba Department
Córdoba is a Department of the Republic of Colombia located to the north of this country in the Colombian Caribbean Region. Córdoba faces to the north with the Caribbean sea, to the northeast with the Sucre Department, east with the Bolívar Department and south with the Antioquia Department...
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| Alias | Name | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Manteco | Jóberman Sánchez Arroyabe | |
| Román Ruiz |
34th Front
Also known as the Alberto Martínez Front, this front is composed by up to 250 combatants and operates mostly in the Chocó and Antioquia Departments.| Alias | Name | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Pedro Baracutado | Ancízar García | Commands 34:th front |
| El Paisa | Jesús Agudelo Rodríguez | Killed in 2008. |
| Amparo | Killed in July 2010. | |
| Modesto | Ramón Antonio Duarte Borja | Captured in July 2010. |
| Elian | Ran away fron FARC (March 2011) with his wife alias "Elizabeth". | |
| Elizabeth | Ran away fron FARC (March 2011) with his husband alias "Elian". |
36th Front
This front is composed by up to 160 combatants and operates mostly in the Antioquia DepartmentAntioquia Department
Antioquia is one of the 32 departments of Colombia, located in the central northwestern part of Colombia with a narrow section that borders the Caribbean Sea. Most of its territory is mountainous with some valleys, much of which is part of the Andes mountain range...
.
| Alias | Name | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Dúber | Rubén Darío Pérez Contreras | Killed in 2008. |
| Argemiro, El Zurdo | Martín Francisco Puerta Henao | Captured in 2005. |
| Tres Pelos | Héctor Alfonso Villalobos | Killed in 2003. |
| Guacharaco | Juan Bautista Peña Serna | Killed in April 2010. |
| Pechi | Demobilized in August 2010. |
|
| Jaimes | Demobilized on October 26, 2010. |
|
| El Pájaro | Jesús Morales Morales | After being wounded, he handed himself to the army on February 8, 2011. |
| Samper | Alberto Montoya Montoya | Captured by Interpol in April 2011. |
| Shampoo | Financial leader and explosive expert. Killed in August 2011 along with two others guerilleros. |
47th Front
Also known as the Leonardo Posada Pedraza, this front is composed by up to 90 combatants and operates mostly in the CaldasCaldas Department
Caldas is a department of Colombia named after Colombian patriotic figure Francisco José de Caldas. It's part of the Paisa Region and its capital is Manizales. The population of Caldas is 1,030,062, and its area is 7,291 km²...
and Antioquia Department
Antioquia Department
Antioquia is one of the 32 departments of Colombia, located in the central northwestern part of Colombia with a narrow section that borders the Caribbean Sea. Most of its territory is mountainous with some valleys, much of which is part of the Andes mountain range...
s. The Colombian military claimed in 2008 that this front had been dismantled.
| Alias | Name | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Kadafi | ||
| Karina | Nelly Ávila Moreno | Demobilized in 2008. |
On May 19, 2008, Karina surrendered herself to the Colombian authorities, two weeks after president Uribe guaranteed her safety on her surrender. According to the governor of Antioquia, Luis Alfredo Ramos, she was also urged by her family to surrender.
57th Front
This front is composed by up to 250 combatants, and operates mostly in the Chocó DepartmentChocó Department
Chocó is a department of Colombia known for its large Afro-Colombian population. It is in the west of the country, and is the only Colombian department to have coastlines on both the Pacific Ocean and the Atlantic Ocean. It also has all of Colombia's border with Panama. Its capital is...
.
| Alias | Name | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Benkos | ||
| El Becerro | Gilberto Torres Muñetón | Killed on October 3, 2010, in Operation Darien |
| Silver | Killed on October 3, 2010, in Operation Darien |
58th Front
Also known as the Mártires de las Canas Front, this front is composed by up to 150 combatants and operates mostly in the AntioquiaAntioquia Department
Antioquia is one of the 32 departments of Colombia, located in the central northwestern part of Colombia with a narrow section that borders the Caribbean Sea. Most of its territory is mountainous with some valleys, much of which is part of the Andes mountain range...
and Córdoba Department
Córdoba Department
Córdoba is a Department of the Republic of Colombia located to the north of this country in the Colombian Caribbean Region. Córdoba faces to the north with the Caribbean sea, to the northeast with the Sucre Department, east with the Bolívar Department and south with the Antioquia Department...
s.
| Alias | Name | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Manteco | Jóberman Sánchez Arroyabe |
Jacobo Arenas Urban Front
This urban front is considered FARC's greatest influence in the MedellínMedellín
Medellín , officially the Municipio de Medellín or Municipality of Medellín, is the second largest city in Colombia. It is in the Aburrá Valley, one of the more northerly of the Andes in South America. It has a population of 2.3 million...
region.
| Alias | Name | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Ramiro, Político | Killed in 2006. | |
| Octavio | Rolando Acevedo Muñoz | Killed in 2005. |
Raúl Eduardo Mahecha Front
Operates in Antioquia. In September 2011 this front is believed to have rescued three oil workers who were kidnapped by criminals in August 2011. The guerrillas freed the workers and handed them over the Colombian police.Columns and Companies
The following columns and companies also form part of the Northwestern Bloc:- Company Aurelio Rodríguez: Composed by up to 110 combatants, this company operates in the RisaraldaRisaralda DepartmentRisaralda is a department of Colombia. It is located in the western central region of the country and part of the Paisa Region. Its capital is Pereira.It was divided from the department of Caldas in 1966...
and Caldas DepartmentCaldas DepartmentCaldas is a department of Colombia named after Colombian patriotic figure Francisco José de Caldas. It's part of the Paisa Region and its capital is Manizales. The population of Caldas is 1,030,062, and its area is 7,291 km²...
s and is led by Martín Cruz Vega, alias "Rubin Morro". One of its highest ranking militants, Jesús González Cardona, alias "Osama", was captured in 2007. - Company Héroes y Mártires del Cairo operates in the Antioquia DepartmentAntioquia DepartmentAntioquia is one of the 32 departments of Colombia, located in the central northwestern part of Colombia with a narrow section that borders the Caribbean Sea. Most of its territory is mountainous with some valleys, much of which is part of the Andes mountain range...
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