The Northwestern Bloc of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, also known as the Iván Ríos Bloc1 has historically been a strong influence in the Medellín and Antioquia regions, and still is today. It has been among the blocs most seriously targeted by President Uribe´s defense plan and the Colombian Army's offensive. Due to this, the bloc has been forced to retreat to more remote areas of the countryside and has lost the dominance it once had in the area. The specific divisions of the group are arguable. Because of the current conflict existing in the country, much of the information recovered is conflicting and should not be taken as absolutely reliable. Some of the believed divisions or "fronts", as they are commonly call them, are shown below. It is worth noting that many of these fronts sometimes work together towards a certain mission, while others are further divided into "columns" and "companies" with a smaller number of members. For more general information see FARC-EP Chain of Command.
Also known as the Antonio Nariño Front, this front is composed by up to 350 combatants and operates mostly in the Urabá region of the Antioquia Department.
Alias
Name
Note
Jacobo
Luis Carlos Durango Usuga
Arrested in 2003.
9th Front
Also known as the Atanasio Girardot Front, this front is composed by up to 160 combatants and operates mostly in the Antioquia Department. The Colombian military claims that this front has now been dismantled.3
Alias
Name
Note
Danilo
Iván de Jesús Zuluaga
Alonso, Chamizo
Tulio Murillo Ávila
Arrested in 2005.
Caliche
Virgilio de Jesús Guzmán
Demobilized in 2006.
18th Front
This front is composed by up to 150 combatants and operates mostly in the Córdoba Department.
Alias
Name
Note
Manteco
Jóberman Sánchez Arroyabe
Román Ruiz
34th Front
Also known as the Alberto Martínez Front, this front is composed by up to 250 combatants and operates mostly in the Antioquia Department.
Also known as the Leonardo Posada Pedraza, this front is composed by up to 90 combatants and operates mostly in the Caldas and Antioquia Departments. The Colombian military claimed in 2008 that this front had been dismantled.6
On May 19th, 2008, Karina surrendered herself to the Colombian authorities, two weeks after president Uribe guaranteed her safety on her surrender. According to the governor of Antioquia, Luis Alfredo Ramos, she was also urged by her family to surrender. 9
57th Front
This front is composed by up to 250 combatants, and operates mostly in the Chocó Department.
Alias
Name
Note
Benkos
58th Front
Also known as the Mártires de las Canas Front, this front is composed by up to 150 combatants and operates mostly in the Antioquia and Córdoba Departments.
Alias
Name
Note
Manteco
Jóberman Sánchez Arroyabe
Jacobo Arenas Urban Front
This urban front is considered FARC's greatest influence in the Medellín region.
Alias
Name
Note
Ramiro, Político
Killed in 2006.
Octavio
Rolando Acevedo Muñoz
Killed in 2005.
Columns and Companies
The following columns and companies also form part of the Northwestern Bloc:
Company Aurelio Rodríguez: Composed by up to 110 combatants, this company operates in the Risaralda and Caldas Departments and is led by Martín Cruz Vega, alias "Rubin Morro". One of its highest ranking militants, Jesús González Cardona, alias "Osama", was captured in 2007.
^ El Tiempo. "'Karina' niega tener relación con la muerte del padre del presidente Álvaro Uribe" May 19, 2008. Available online. Accessed May 19, 2008.
^ El Tiempo. "'Karina' niega tener relación con la muerte del padre del presidente Álvaro Uribe" May 19, 2008. Available online. Accessed May 19, 2008.
