Bogota Febuary 7. 2003 Colombia
At least 20 people were killed and more than 100 injured when a car bomb exploded
in an indoor carpark of El Nogal, an exclusive club frequented by the Colombian
capital's top politicians. The FARC claimed responsibility.
The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarios
de Colombia) were growing out of the turmoil and fighting in the 1950s between
liberal and conservative militias, the FARC was established in 1964 by the
Colombian Communist Party to defend what were then autonomous communist-controlled
rural areas. The FARC is Latin America’s oldest, largest, most capable,
and best-equipped insurgency of Marxist origin. Although only nominally fighting
in support of Marxist goals today, the FARC is governed by a general secretariat
led by longtime leader Manuel Marulanda (a.k.a. "Tirofi jo”) and
six others, including senior military commander Jorge Briceno (a.k.a. "Mono
Jojoy”). It is organized along military lines and includes several units
that operate mostly in key urban areas such as Bogota.
