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FARC (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia)

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Organization

The Resume

    (1964-2017)
    Marxist-guerrilla movement
    Known as 'The People's Army'
    Initials of their Spanish-language name - 'Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia' (FARC)
    Classified a terrorist organization by the European Union and the United States
    Signed a ceasefire accord with Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos (June - Nov. 2016)
    Ceased to be an armed group, disarming and handing over their weapons to the United Nations (June 27, 2017).
    Important leading figures include Manuel Marulanda Velez, Timochenko, and Raul Reyes

Why they might be annoying:

    They expanded cocaine trafficking into the US.
    They have been known to recruit (or outright kidnap) child soldiers to increase their numbers.
    Amnesty International reported multiple cases of sexual abuse by guerrilla leaders of female recruits, in addition to forced abortions.
    They have been known to intimidate and harass indigenous peoples, assassinating their leaders in multiple cases.
    Peace talks with the Colombian government fell through in 1984, 1990, and 2002.
    They hijacked a commercial airliner to kidnap Senator Ingrid Betancourt while she was campaigning for President, holding her hostage for six years (2002).
    They were responsible for the bombing of Club El Nogal in Bogota, killing 36 (2003).
    They were responsible for the abduction and murder of thousands, including 13 policemen, 18 soldiers, a judge, a provincial governor, two former Colombian ministers and the daughter of the former president of Paraguay.
    They attempted to assassinate future Colombian President Alvaro Uribe by placing a bomb in a bus following his campaign convoy in Barranquilla (April 2002). They had also killed Uribe’s own father during an abduction attempt in 1983.

Why they might not be annoying:

    Attempts by leaders to integrate into civil political discourse are often thwarted by terroristic threats (usually by rival guerrilla organizations).
    They were the product of nearly 20 years worth of civil war and unrest, which had already killed around 200,000.
    They were defended by Hugo Chavez, who called them ‘a belligerent force’ over a ‘terrorist organization.’
    The Colombian government got into a diplomatic tussle with both Venezuela and Ecuador after troops crossed the latter's borders unlawfully to capture/kill several commanding officers, most notably Raul Reyes (March 2008).
    They are conflated with Pablo Escobar and his own Medellin Cartel (entirely separate with no real connection).

Credit: BoyWiththeGreenHair


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    In 2023, Out of 261 Votes: 64.75% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 28 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 21 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 221 Votes: 52.94% Annoying
    In 2019, Out of 596 Votes: 52.35% Annoying
    In 2018, Out of 523 Votes: 64.24% Annoying