Santos’ Uncertain Victory Over the FARC
On 23 September, Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos announced that the FARC militant, “El Mono Jojoy,” whom he called a “symbol of terror” in Colombia, had been killed in a military operation against the FARC (las Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia). Jojoy, whose other alias was Jorge Briceño, was the military leader of the FARC, specifically the Eastern Bloc unit, and his death has serious implications for Colombia, Santos, and the FARC themselves.
Background
Founded in 1964, the FARC are a rebel group whose goal is to overthrow the Colombian government and establish a Marxist one in its place. Historically, the FARC have used armed violence to advance their cause, and they continue to do so, but they have also become involved in Colombia’s drug trade as a means of financing their operations. According to the BBC, by 2006, the FARC supplied more than half of the world’s supply of cocaine.
This analysis was prepared by COHA Research Associate Marta Escobedo
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