Labeled a left-wing terror group by Colombia and the United States, FARC is the oldest and most active rebel army in Colombia.  Originally founded to protect the Colombian working poor from harsh landowner policies, the group quickly became influenced by Marxist / Communist revolutionary ideas in their struggle against the Colombian government.  FARC opposes the wealthy and ruling classes, U.S. influence in Colombia, the privatization of resources, and multinational corporations.  Generally, they oppose capitalism and have worked to become a “People’s Army” fighting to secure revolution in Colombia.  From their inception in 1966, FARC has used a myriad of homemade explosives, kidnappings, and assassinations to pursue their goals .  There are over 2,400 individual terror incidents reported within the START Global Terrorism Database attributed to FARC activity.

FARC currently maintains control over seven regions in Colombia.  These regions, called blocks, are made up of anywhere from 5-15 groups (called Fronts) depending on population density.  A report by the UN Regional Information Centre for South America found there to be upwards of 80 unique fronts.  The Colombian government estimated FARC was 16,000 fighters strong in 2001, while newer reports put estimates at around 8,000.

FARC supports this large network of terror through aggressive fundraising. They raise capital in two key ways: Through the charging of rent and taxes upon peoples within controlled territories of Colombia (often Coca growers), and through kidnapping and extortion. The first method has drawn considerable heat from the United States, who see their active provision over the growth of Coca as narcoterrorism. The United States has had an extradition agreement in place with Colombia in 1979, in large part due to the fundraising efforts of FARC.