Jacobo Arenas

Jacobo Arenas ("nom de guerre" of Luis Alberto Morantes Jaimes, 23 January 1924 10 August 1990) was a Colombian guerrilla leader of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia, FARC).

Jacobo Arenas
Jacobo Arenas, political leader of FARC-EP.
Nickname(s)Jacobo Arenas
Born(1924-01-23)23 January 1924
Died10 October 1990(1990-10-10) (aged 66)
Service/branchRevolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC)
Years of service1964-1990
RankFounder and Ideological Leader of FARC-EP
Battles/warsColombian armed conflict

Importance to FARC

Arenas' influence in FARC shifted the group toward more aggressive tactics, in which they would attempt to covertly surround cities actively pursue engagement with enemy forces.[1] He was also one of the FARC figures involved in the organization and creation of the Patriotic Union political party in 1985.

Death and aftermath

Jacobo Arenas died on 10 August 1990, possibly due to cancer, but perhaps also due to diabetes or an ulcer, or even assassinated by a vindictive comrade (according to different versions).[2]

Arenas' son, known as Francisco Arenas, continued to serve in the FARC after his father's death. He eventually led the Jacobo Arenas Front mobile column, named in honor of his father.

Alfonso Cano subsequently became Arenas' replacement as ideological leader of the group throughout the 1990s, and served as the leader of the FARC-EP from May 2008 to November 2011, when he was killed.

References

  • Diario de la resistencia de Marquetalia, Jacobo Arenas, Ediciones Abejón Mono, 1972
  • Dance of the Millions: Military Rule and the Social Revolution in Colombia : 1930-1956, Vernon L. Fluharty, ISBN 0-8371-8368-5, 1975
  • Blood and Fire: La Violencia in Antioquia, Colombia, 1946-1953, Mary Roldan, Duke University Press, ISBN 0-8223-2918-2, 2002
  • Human Rights Watch, "The Sixth Division: Military-Paramilitary ties and US Policy in Colombia", September 2001.
  • Martin Hodgson, CSM, 26 April 2000 (UN Report)
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