Manuel Marulanda | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Nickname(s) | Manuel Marulanda Vélez Tirofijo |
| Born | (1930-05-13)13 May 1930 Génova,Quindío Colombia |
| Died | 26 March 2008(2008-03-26) (aged 77) Meta Department, Colombia[1] |
| Allegiance | FARC |
| Rank | Secretariat member, Chief of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia |
| Unit | Southern Bloc |
| Battles / wars | Colombian armed conflict |
Pedro Antonio Marín Marín (13 May 1930[disputed][2] – 26 March 2008), known by his "nom de guerre"Manuel Marulanda Vélez, was the founder and main leader of theMarxist–LeninistFARC-EP ("Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia – Ejército del Pueblo"). Marulanda was born in acoffee-growing region of west-centralColombia in theQuindío Department, to apeasant family politically aligned with theLiberal Party during conflicts in the 1940s and 1950s.
Marulanda was nicknamed "Tirofijo" (Spanish:Surefire or Sureshot) by his comrades, apparently because of a reputed ability to accurately aimfirearms.[citation needed]
Marulanda himself changed his political and ideological inclinations to theCommunist Party (PCC) during "La Violencia" (roughly 1948 to 1958) that followed the assassination of the Liberal Party's leaderJorge Eliécer Gaitán.
In March 2006,Alberto Gonzales, theAttorney General of the United States, announced in conjunction withDrug Enforcement Administration andUnited States Department of Justice officials that theUS State Department had placed a $5 million reward on Tirofijo's head, or for information leading to his capture. He was considered a terrorist, assassin, kidnapper and racketeer. He commanded multiple terrorist acts against the Colombian people and society in general. He also had relationships with known drug cartels.[3] But "Marulanda" was never apprehended, and died of a heart attack on 26 March 2008. He was replaced as commander-in-chief byAlfonso Cano.[4]
Marulanda and members of his family, like many Liberal peasants, rose up in arms not long after they heard the news about the death ofJorge Eliecer Gaitan.
Eventually, Marulanda split with some of his relatives and became part of a column of guerrilla fighters that came under the influence of theCommunist Party of Colombia, which developed a more proactive role in the fighting, executing more raids and offensive operations. He took on the name "Manuel Marulanda" in honor of a murdered union leader. Marulanda eventually met and befriended Luis Morantes, also known asJacobo Arenas, a PCC political cadre sent to the rural areas by the central party structure.
Members of this group later settled in an area known asMarquetalia towards the end of "La Violencia", keeping their weapons. They distrusted the Colombian Army and government even after a 1953 coup led by GeneralGustavo Rojas against Conservative presidentLaureano Gómez. Rojas had offered an amnesty that was accepted by most Liberal irregular fighters nationwide, but reputedly the murder of a few demobilized individuals made Marulanda, his rural comrades and his PCC superiors in the cities uneasy.
After the fall of Rojas in 1957 and the signing of the National Front agreement in 1958 between Colombia's two main parties, self-sufficient armed enclaves, such as the so-called "independent republics" and in particular a supposed "Marquetalia Republic", were considered dangerous by the new government. Pressure from Conservative members of Congress and from theUnited States led to a Colombian Army attack on Marquetalia, which was eventually overrun during what was termed "Operation Marquetalia" in May 1964.
The Colombian Army's attack was mostly ineffective, though it did scatter the guerrillas, and most of the survivors reunited elsewhere and later became part of the "Bloque Sur" (Southern Bloc) guerrilla group on 27 May 1964, a precursor to the official foundation of the FARC in 1966. Marulanda andJacobo Arenas soon established themselves as the main leaders of the new guerrilla group.
Marulanda died of a heart attack on 26 March 2008. The news was first brought by Colombian magazineRevista Semana on 24 May 2008, that cited Defense MinisterJuan Manuel Santos saying Marulanda died. The minister claimed he had learned this from a reliable informant within FARC. He also told the magazine that three bombing raids had targeted the rebel chief around the date in question.[5][6] A press statement released by the Colombian Ministry of Defense on 24 May stated that Marulanda died on 26 March 2008, at 18:30 hours (UTC 13:30).[7] On 25 May in a video released to channelteleSUR, Timoleón Jiménez, akaTimochenko, another member of the Central High Command of the FARC, confirmed the death as heart failure.[4][8]
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