Colombia.

This is coolbert:

Thanks here to the BBC.

"Leader's death harsh blow to Farc"

"The legendary leader and founder of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc) is dead."

Pedro Marin, the real name of 'Manuel Marulanda' [nom de guerre]!

Unexpectedly, the most numerous, vicious, and effective guerrilla insurgency in all the world [??], has had some serious set-backs. The very top command echelon is being decapitated, and all at once it seems too. A hitherto seemingly invincible and unstoppable group of insurgents is now being beaten?

Just this year alone, Farc has suffered some serious losses. To include of course the death of Pedro Marin, and in addition:

* "March was a disastrous month for the Farc and their ruling body the Secretariat, as three of the seven members died or were killed."

* "right hand man, alias Raul Reyes was killed on 1 March when the Colombian military bombed a Farc camp two kilometres inside Ecuadorean territory."

[privileged sanctuary that in one fell swoop became not-so-privileged sanctuary.]

* "A week later 'Ivan Rios', the youngest member of the Secretariat, was murdered by one of his bodyguards"

* "desertion had become the Achilles Heel of the guerrillas. More than 220 rebels deserted in the first quarter of this year alone."

* "An unexpected coup came in the form of a woman with the alias 'Karina', who deserted on 19 May . . . She was an iconic figure in the Farc"

The Farc are famous for having many women included in their ranks. Combat fighters who acquit themselves quite well? Similar to the Nepalese Maoist guerrillas. Woman fighters are also largely instrumental in the quasi-governmental ruling apparatus within Farc controlled areas of Columbia.



[woman are felt to be better negotiators and lest inclined to use violence to solve disputes. Also, when one of these Farc women "officials" tells someone to do something, YOU DO IT!!]

Pedro Marin was a guerrilla commander who spent FOUR DECADES IN THE WILDERNESS FIGHTING A COMMUNIST INSURRECTION THAT IS NOW COMING APART!! Farc for some time has controlled large portions of Columbia, extortion, kidnapping, involvement in the drug trade being their trademarks! Have a very big regional influence, in some cases almost global in nature!

Farc is now in trouble??!!

coolbert.