CUBA: The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia commemorate the sixth anniversary of the death of the Marxist rebel group's founder, Manuel Marulanda

Record ID: 349906

  • Title: CUBA: The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia commemorate the sixth anniversary of the death of the Marxist rebel group's founder, Manuel Marulanda
  • Date: 26th March 2014
  • Summary: SIGN FOR THE PEACE TALKS IN HAVANA PEACE NEGOTIATORS FROM THE COLOMBIAN GOVERNMENT ARRIVING
  • Embargoed: 10th April 2014 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Cuba
  • Country: Cuba
  • Topics: General
  • Reuters ID: LVA27RIZCCOJBUG7A9KCTXBMR8SL
  • Story Text: Colombia's Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia commemorated the sixth anniversary of the death of the founder of the Marxist rebel group, Manuel "Sureshot" Marulanda, on Wednesday (March 26) in Cuba.
    Dutch national and member of the rebel group known as the FARC, Tanja Nijmeijer, sent well wishes and a song to members of the FARC from Havana where the representatives of the group are currently in peace negotiations with the Colombian government.

    "For all the guerrilla fighting men and women who are in the jungle today commemorating the death of commander Manuel (Marulanda Velez), I send you a hug and this song," Nijmeijer said before strumming a guitar and singing a song said to have been written by a rebel fighter.
    In 2008 the FARC said Maralunda, at the time the group's top commander, died of a heart attack.
    Maralunda is regarded as a hero to the group.
    Founded in 1964 as a Marxist movement that fought to defend the poor, the FARC later turned to cocaine, kidnapping and extortion.
    At its height, the FARC had some 20,000 fighters but a U.S.-funded military offensive has whittled them to as few as 7,000.
    FARC and Colombian negotiators have been working to secure a peace deal in Havana since November 2012 to end an internal conflict which has killed more than 200,000 - mostly civilians - since the 1960s.
    The two sides have reached tentative agreement on two of five major topics, on land use and the FARC's political future as an unarmed group.
    They are progressing toward a third agreement on the issue of drug trafficking.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2014. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
Register