FARC

The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), known in Spanish as Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia, was the country’s largest guerrilla movement for decades. It originated in 1964 amid rural unrest during La Violencia, growing out of peasant organizing with a Marxist-Leninist orientation. Its stated aims included land reform, social justice, and the replacement of the state with a socialist order.

Over the years, FARC built a shadow administration in several rural areas, engaging in guerrilla warfare against security forces and competing for control of territory. It funded its operations through a mix of taxation, kidnap-for-ransom, extortion, and involvement in illicit activities such as cocaine trafficking. The group used strategic attacks on infrastructure and political targets to pressure the Colombian state.

A formal peace process with the Colombian government ran from 2012 to 2016 in Havana, resulting in a peace agreement signed in 2016. Under the accord, about 7,000 fighters laid down arms, and the organization began a transition to political participation. It formed a legal political party initially named the Fuerzas Alternativas Revolucionarias del Común (FARC) and later adopted the name Comunes to operate within the democratic system.

Despite demobilization, dissident factions rejected the agreement and continued armed activity in some regions, contributing to ongoing security concerns. Internacionally, FARC and its successor entities have faced designation as terrorist organizations by various states over time, reflecting the enduring controversy surrounding the group and its legacy in Colombian conflict.