Manuel Marulanda
Manuel Marulanda | |
---|---|
Colombian armed conflict |
Pedro Antonio Marín Marín (13 May 1930 [disputed]
Marulanda was nicknamed "Tirofijo" (Spanish: Surefire or Sureshot) by his comrades, apparently because of a reputed ability to accurately aim firearms.[citation needed]
Marulanda himself changed his political and ideological inclinations to the Communist Party (PCC) during "La Violencia" (roughly 1948 to 1958) that followed the assassination of the Liberal Party's leader Jorge Eliécer Gaitán.
In March 2006,
Early armed activities
Marulanda and members of his family, like many Liberal peasants, rose up in arms not long after they heard the news about the death of
Eventually, Marulanda split with some of his relatives and became part of a column of guerrilla fighters that came under the influence of the
Members of this group later settled in an area known as Marquetalia towards the end of "La Violencia", keeping their weapons. They distrusted the Colombian Army and government even after a 1953 coup led by General Gustavo Rojas against Conservative president Laureano 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 the United States led to a Colombian Army attack on Marquetalia, which was eventually overrun during what was termed "Operation Marquetalia" in May 1964.
Formation of the FARC
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 and Jacobo Arenas soon established themselves as the main leaders of the new guerrilla group.
Death
Marulanda died of a heart attack on 26 March 2008. The news was first brought by Colombian magazine
Popular culture
- Marulanda is portrayed by the Colombian actor Iván Rodríguez as the character of Miguel Miranda 'Punto-Fijo' in TV Series Tres Caínes.
See also
- The World's 10 Most Wanted
References
This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. (June 2008) |
- ^ "FARC Confirma Muerte de Marulanda". Crónica Digital (in Spanish). 25 May 2008. Archived from the original on 17 November 2015. Retrieved 17 June 2014.
- ^ (in Spanish) El Mundo: El viajo guerrillero y su delfin
- ^ United States Department of State : US Department of State - Rewards
- ^ a b "FARC confirm death of 'Manuel Marulanda'". Colombia Reports. 25 May 2008.[dead link]
- ^ "Articulo OnLine "Tirofijo está muerto"". Archived from the original on 3 December 2010. Retrieved 24 July 2018.
- ^ "'Manuel Marulanda' is dead, says Minister of Defense". Colombia Reports. 24 May 2008.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Army confirms death 'Manuel Marulanda'". Colombia Reports. 24 May 2008.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "'Las FARC confirman la muerte de Manuel Marulanda". Noticias 24. 25 May 2008. Archived from the original on 28 May 2008. Retrieved 6 September 2018.
- Diario de la resistencia de Marquetalia, Jacobo Arenas, Ediciones Abejón Mono, 1972 (Espanol)
External links
- Colombia's Rebel Patriarch Is Dead by Tim Padgett, Time Magazine, 25 May 2008
- Documentary: 50 years of Guerrilla
- Manuel Marulanda, Cuadernos de Campaňa (1953)