Who are the Farc?
Colombia, the centre of the world cocaine trade, has endured civil war for decades between left-wing rebels with roots in the peasant majority and right-wing paramilitaries. Manuel ‘Sureshot’ Marulanda named his guerrilla band the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia in 1966. Rebels make at least $300m from the drug trade yearly. President Alvaro Uribe, in power since 2002, has launched a fresh offensive against the insurgents – backed by $3bn of US military aid. Q: How many hostages are held by the rebels? A: The Farc are thought to have about 800 hostages.Three have been the focus of international attention after rebels offered in December to release them – Clara Rojas, a former vice-presidential candidate; her young son, Emmanuel, believed fathered by one of her captors; and politician Consuelo Gonzalez. Rojas was kidnapped with Ingrid Betancourt, 45, in 2002. Betancourt, 45, has won international attention because of her dual French-Colombian nationality and her children’s campai
