Founded in 1964 in one of the most violent periods in Colombian history, the FARC started as a peasant movement focused on demanding land redistribution. Like other guerrilla movements in Latin America, it turned to Marxist ideology and the Cuban revolution for inspiration.
The most powerful guerrilla insurgency in Latin America vowed to continue its rebellion on Sunday, after the Colombian military killed its top commander and plunged the teetering rebel force into its deepest-ever crisis.
Alfonso Cano, the top leader of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia was gunned down Friday in a military operation that the government of this Andean nation labeled as its greatest victory against the Marxist-inspired guerrilla insurgency, which has been fighting to overthrow the government for nearly 50 years.
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