Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia

Spanish tourists kidnapped in Colombia

Agencia EFEMay 21, 2013 19:01

Bogota, May 21 (EFE).- Two Spanish tourists were kidnapped last week in northeastern Colombia, police said Tuesday. Angel Sanchez Fernandez, 49, and Maria Concepcion Marlaska Sedano, 43, were abducted on Friday, police spokesmen told Efe. Marlaska Sedano is related to Spanish National Court Judge Fernando Grande-Marlaska. The two tourists are from Aviles, a city in the northern Spanish region of Asturias, and were in Colombia on vacation, police said.

Talks resume as Colombia urges rebels to disarm

Agence France-PresseMay 15, 2013 12:45

Talks resumed after a brief hiatus Wednesday in Havana between Colombia and FARC guerrillas, one day after President Juan Manuel Santos said the rebels must disarm in order to reach a peace agreement. The talks, held in the Cuban capital Havana, are the first attempt in a decade to negotiate a truce between the Colombian government and Latin American's oldest insurgency. Three previous attempts failed.

Fighting in Colombia leaves five rebels, police officer dead

Agence France-PresseMay 14, 2013 19:00

Marxist FARC rebels and police clashed in different regions of Colombia on Tuesday, in violence that left five guerrillas and a police officer dead, authorities said. The deadly unrest threatened to overshadow the resumption of peace talks between the Colombian government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) being held in Havana. The FARC -- the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia -- is the country's largest leftist guerrilla group, and the insurgency it has waged since 1964 is the oldest in Latin America.

Popularity of Colombia's Santos edges up slightly

Thomson ReutersMay 7, 2013 11:36

BOGOTA (Reuters) - Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos' popularity recovered 3 percentage points, as people feel more upbeat about the outcome of peace talks with Marxist rebels and applaud a program to give homes to the poor, a leading pollster said on Friday. Santos' popularity had been sliding since his government began negotiating a peace deal in November with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, in a bid to end a five-decade war that has killed tens of thousands of people.

Colombia, FARC say progress made in talks

Thomson ReutersMay 7, 2013 11:19

By Jeff Franks HAVANA (Reuters) - Colombia and Marxist-led FARC rebels reported important advances on Friday on the critical issue of agrarian reform in their talks to end half a century of war but the government complained the negotiations were still moving too slowly. The rebels also put a possible chill in the process by rejecting the notion of legal prosecution for their actions in the conflict, which has left thousands of people dead and millions displaced.

Colombian police find over 2,000 landmines belonging to rebels

Agencia EFEMay 6, 2013 15:01

Bogota, May 6 (EFE).- A total of 2,345 landmines belonging to the FARC guerrilla group were found in the southern province of Caqueta, the Colombian National Police said. The landmines were discovered in San Pablo de Anaya, located 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) from the city of El Paujil. Officers located the landmines using information provided by "sources" who gave them "the exact coordinates" of the site, the National Police said in a statement.

Army kills 7 FARC rebels in fighting in Colombia

Agencia EFEMay 6, 2013 13:16

Bogota, May 6 (EFE).- Army troops killed seven FARC guerrillas and captured an eighth in fighting in southwestern Colombia over the weekend, a high-level military commander said. The dead guerrillas belonged to the 29th Front of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, Southwestern Joint Command chief Gen. Leonardo Barrero Gordillo told Efe. The fighting occurred Saturday in Leyva, a village on the border between Cauca and Nariño provinces, Barrero said in a telephone interview.

Colombia sees leniency for rebels if peace deal reached

Agence France-PresseApril 29, 2013 12:16

Colombian guerrilla leaders convicted of war crimes or crimes against humanity could get suspended sentences if government and rebel negotiators reach a peace accord, an official said Monday. The two sides have been negotiating in Havana since late last year to try to end Latin America's last and longest insurgency, one that has ground on for nearly 50 years and claimed an estimated 600,000 lives. Most of the leaders of the leftist rebel group FARC have already been tried and convicted in absentia of a variety of crimes, but none for crimes against humanity or war crimes.

Colombia rebels make new demands at peace talks

Agence France-PresseApril 24, 2013 12:16

The FARC rebel delegation at Colombian peace talks on Wednesday called for ending what it labeled Bogota's neoliberal economic policy as the insurgents made new demands. The leftist guerrillas waging Latin America's longest-running insurgency also proposed tax reform, the drafting of a new constitution and guarantees for farmers and other rural people to be involved in shaping policy. The demands appeared aimed at addressing the social and economic roots of the decades-old conflict, which began in the 1960s as a peasant revolt against wealthy landowners.

Colombia, FARC start new round of talks in Cuba

Thomson ReutersApril 23, 2013 11:16

By Jeff Franks HAVANA (Reuters) - Colombia and the Marxist FARC rebels launched their latest round of peace talks on Tuesday in Havana after a month-long break in a process aimed at ending half a century of bloody conflict in the South American nation. At the end of their last round on March 21, both sides cited progress toward an accord on the key issue of agrarian reform, which lead government negotiator Humberto de la Calle said needs to be settled soon so they can move on to other issues.