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The 19th of April Movement, "Movimiento 19 de Abril" or M-19, was a Colombian guerrilla movement. After its demobilization it became a political party, the M-19 Democratic Alliance, "Alianza Democrática M-19", or AD/M-19. Colombian Armed Conflict or Colombian Civil War are terms that are employed to refer to the current low intensity conflict in Colombia that has existed since approximately 1964 or 1966, which was when the FARC and later the ELN were founded and subsequently started their guerrilla insurgency campaigns against successive... Plan Colombia is a controversial initiative aimed at resolving the ongoing, fifty-year civil war in Colombia. ... This article or section seems not to be written in the formal tone expected of an encyclopaedia entry. ... According to the U.S. Department of State’s 2003 human rights report, Colombia’s human rights record, despite significant improvements by police and military forces in some areas, remained poor. ... Colombias Ministry of Defense, charged with the countrys internal and external defense and security, has an Army, Navy (which includes both marines and coast guard) Air Force, and National Police under the leadership of a civilian Minister of Defense. ... The Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia–Ejército del Pueblo or FARC-EP (Spanish for Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia–Peoples Army) is Colombias oldest and largest guerrilla group, established in 1964-1966 as the military wing of the Colombian Communist Party. ... Ejército de Liberación Nacional (usually abbreviated to ELN), or National Liberation Army, is a revolutionary, Marxist, insurgent guerrilla group that has been operating in several regions of Colombia since 1964. ... The Popular Liberation Army, EPL (Ejército de Liberación Nacional), is a Colombian guerrilla group created in 1967. ... Paramilitarism in Colombia refers to the origin and development of paramilitary groups in Colombia during the 20th century. ... The AUCs logo The United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia (Autodefensas Unidas de Colombia, or AUC, in Spanish), were formed in April 1997 as an umbrella paramilitary federation seeking to consolidate many local and regional paramilitary groups in Colombia, each intending to protect different local economic, social and political... The Alianza Americana Anticomunista (Anticommunist American Alliance aka Triple A) was a state terrorism and paramilitary far-right group mainly operating in Colombia during 1978 and 1979. ... The Peasant Student Workers Movement (in Spanish: Movimiento Obrero Estudiantil Campesino) was a leftist group in Colombia. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... The Santa Marta Massacre, in Spanish, matanza de las bananeras[1] was a massacre of workers for the United Fruit Company that occurred on December 6, 1928 in the town of Cienaga near Santa Marta, Colombia. ... La Violencia (literally The Violence, in Spanish) is a term that refers to an era of civil conflict in Colombia between supporters of the Colombian Liberal PartybobColombian Conservative Party, a conflict which took place roughly from 1948 to 1958 (exact dates vary). ... Marquetalia Republic was a term used to unofficially refer to one of the enclaves in rural Colombia which Communist peasant guerrillas held during the aftermath of La Violencia (aprox. ... The Dominican embassy siege was the 1980 siege of the embassy of the Dominican Republic by M-19 guerrillas in Bogotá, Colombia. ... The Palace of Justice siege was a 1985 attack against the Supreme Court of Colombia, in which members of the M-19 guerrilla group took over the Palace of Justice in Bogotá, Colombia, and held the Supreme Court hostage, intending to hold a trial against Colombian President Belisario Betancur. ... The Unión Patriótica, Patriotic Union (UP), was a leftist Colombian political party founded by the FARC in 1985, as part of the peace negotiations that the guerrillas held with the Belisario Betancur administration. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... The FARC-Government peace process (1999-2002), from January 7, 1999 to February 20, 2002, was a failed peace process between the Government of President Andres Pastrana and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) guerrilla group in an effort to bring to an end the ongoing Colombian Armed Conflict. ... The Bojayá Massacre ocurred in May 2, 2002 in the Colombian town of Bojayá, in Chocó province. ... The Colombian parapolitics scandal or parapolitica in Spanish (from the term Parapolitics), also known in the English-speaking press as the paragate (from the Watergate scandal), refers to the 2006 - present Colombian congressional scandal in which several congressmen and other politicians have been indicted for suspicions of colluding with the... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Drummond Company is a privately owned companey based in Birmingham, Alabama, United States, involved in the mining and processing of coal and coal products. ... The Colombian Conservative Party (Spanish: Partido Conservador Colombiano), is a conservative right wing / center right Colombian political party. ... Politics of Colombia Categories: Politics stubs | Liberal related stubs | Colombian political parties | Liberal parties ... The Colombian Communist Party is the legal Communist party of Colombia. ... The Clandestine Colombian Communist Party (in Spanish: Partido Comunista Colombiano Clandestino) is an underground communist party in Colombia. ... Look up guerrilla in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

The M-19 traced its origins to the allegedly fraudulent presidential elections of April 19, 1970. During the elections, the National Popular Alliance (ANAPO) of former military dictator Gustavo Rojas Pinilla, was denied an electoral victory. An election is a decision making process where people choose people to hold official offices. ... April 19 is the 109th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (110th in leap years). ... 1970 (MCMLXX) was a common year starting on Thursday. ... The National Peoples Alliance (Alianza Nacional Popular) is a political party in Colombia. ... Augusto Pinochet (sitting) was an army general who led a military coup in Chile in 1973. ... Gustavo Rojas Pinilla was a former military dictator (1953-1957) and Colombian political figure, as well as a former 1966 and 1970 presidential candidate on behalf of the National Popular Alliance, Alianza Nacional Popular, (ANAPO). ...

The ideology of the M-19 was a mixture of populism and nationalistic revolutionary socialism. By mid 1985, the M-19 was the largest guerrilla group in Colombia after the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, when the number of active members was estimated at between 1,500 and 2,000, including a more noticeable urban presence. Nationalism is an ideology that creates and sustains a nation as a concept of a common identity for groups of humans. ... Socialism refers to a broad array of doctrines or political movements that envisage a socio-economic system in which property and the distribution of wealth are subject to social control. ... 1985 (MCMLXXXV) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia–Ejército del Pueblo or FARC-EP (Spanish for Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia–Peoples Army) is Colombias oldest and largest guerrilla group, established in 1964-1966 as the military wing of the Colombian Communist Party. ... Crowded Shibuya, Tokyo shopping district An urban area is an area with an increased density of human-created structures in comparison to the areas surrounding it. ...

It had become known for executing several awe-inspiring actions that provoked conflicting feelings of amazement and anger among the different sectors of Colombian public opinion. Public Opinion is a book on media and democracy by Walter Lippmann. ...

Armed Activity

Some analysts consider that the M-19's history can be summarized as a failed armed revolutionary struggle during the early to mid 1980s in Colombia, and a relatively constructive reincorporation into civil society and political life during the late 1980s and early 1990s.

Among the actions performed by the M-19, some significant events stand out. On New Year's Eve 1979, the group dug a tunnel into a Colombian Army weapons depot, taking over 5000 weapons. It was considered by analysts as one of the first signs of the true potential for armed action that this group had. In a highly symbolic action, the M-19 also stole one of Simón Bolívar's swords from a museum, an event which was used by the group in order to symbolize what they termed as a civilian uprising against a regime perceived as unjust. The quality of this article or section may be compromised by peacock terms. You can help Wikipedia by removing peacock terms. ... For the song by the Smashing Pumpkins, see 1979 (song). ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ...

Dominican Republic embassy siege

The group is also recognized for other high profile activities, such as the Dominican embassy siege. The guerrillas stormed the Dominican Republic's embassy during a cocktail party on February 27, 1980. They took the largest recorded number of diplomats held hostage to date in Colombia, which accounted for 14 ambassadors, including the United States'. Eventually, after tense negotiations with the government of Julio César Turbay Ayala, the hostages were peacefully released and the hostage takers were allowed to leave the country for exile into Cuba. Some of them later returned and actively rejoined the M-19's activities. Many contemporary rumors and later accounts from the participants in this event have suggested that the Colombian government might have submitted to another of the M-19 demands, by allegedly giving the group 1 to 2.5 million U.S. dollars in exchange for the release of the hostages. The Dominican embassy siege was the 1980 siege of the embassy of the Dominican Republic by M-19 guerrillas in Bogotá, Colombia. ... February 27 is the 58th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1980 (MCMLXXX) was a leap year starting on Tuesday. ... Julio César Turbay Ayala (June 18, 1916 – September 13, 2005) was president of Colombia from 1978 to 1982, as a member (and later leader) of the Colombian Liberal Party. ...

Palace of Justice siege

The M-19, as a guerilla group, is also recognized for the Palace of Justice siege. In this attack, on November 6, 1985, some 300 lawyers, judges, and Supreme Court magistrates were taken hostage by 35 armed rebel commandos at the Palace of Justice, the building that houses the Supreme Court of Colombia. They demanded that president Belisario Betancur be tried by the magistrates for allegedly betraying the country's desire for peace. When this situation became publicly known, the Colombian Army surrounded the Palace of Justice's perimeter with soldiers and EE-9 Cascavel armored reconnaissance vehicles. For a short while, unsuccessful negotiations were attempted, but they reached nowhere, despite the desperate pleas that were transmitted telephonically by some of the notable hostages involved. The Palace of Justice siege was a 1985 attack against the Supreme Court of Colombia, in which members of the M-19 guerrilla group took over the Palace of Justice in Bogotá, Colombia, and held the Supreme Court hostage, intending to hold a trial against Colombian President Belisario Betancur. ... November 6 is the 310th day of the year (311th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 55 days remaining. ... 1985 (MCMLXXXV) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... The EE-9 Cascavel is a 6x6 armoured car developed in the seventies by ENGESA of Brasil. ...

The Betancur administration and it council found themselves in a difficult position. They were not willing to submit to the rebels' demands, as they allegedly considered that this would set a further precedent for the M-19 and considerably jeopardize the government's position. Eventually, after tense discussions, it was decided during an emergency meeting that the military would be allowed to handle the situation and attempt to recover the Palace by force. Some analysts^{[citation needed]} have speculated that the military's top brass may have pressured Betancurt in order to finally allow this, but this is not completely clear.

This led to a highly controversial turn of events which, to a lesser or greater degree, continues to be debated in Colombia to this date. In the ensuing heavy crossfire between the incoming soldiers and the entrenched rebels, which included supporting gunfire from the EE-9 Cascavels, the building was set aflame, more than 100 people died, and valuable legal records were destroyed.

The M-19 lost several of its top commanders during the event, and blamed the government for the ensuing bloodshed. The surviving civilian victims and their families held different positions; some blamed the M-19, some blamed the Betancur administration, many blamed both. There is apparently no clear consensus on the matter.

It has been argued that druglords, such as Pablo Escobar, may have masterminded the operation in order to get rid of several criminal investigations recorded in the documents lost during the event. A Special Commission of Inquiry, established by the Betancur government, released a June 1986 report which concluded that this was apparently not the case.^[1] Pablo Emilio Escobar Gaviria (December 1, 1949 – December 2, 1993) gained world infamy as a Colombian drug dealer. ...

Mauricio Gaona and Carlos Medellín Becerra, the sons of two of the murdered Supreme Court magistrates, have pushed for further investigations into the presumed links between the M-19 and the Medellín Cartel drug lords, arguing that they have evidence that may prove relevant upon judicial review. Congressman Gustavo Petro, a former M-19 guerrilla, has denied these accusations and dismissed them as based upon the inconsistent testimonies of drug lords. Petro says that the surviving members of the M-19 do admit to their share of responsibility for the tragic events of the siege, on behalf of the entire organization, but deny any links to the drug trade.^[2] The Medellín Cartel was a well-organized network of drug smugglers originating in the city of Medellín in Colombia and operating through the 1970s and 1980s. ...

Demobilization and Participation in Politics

New banner adopted by the Democratic Alliance M-19.

The M-19 eventually gave up its weapons, received pardons and became a political party in the late 80's, the M-19 Democratic Alliance ("Alianza Democrática M-19", or (AD/M-19)), which renounced the armed struggle. Eventually the M-19 returned Bolívar's sword as a symbol of its demobilization and desire to change society through its participation in legal politics. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Political parties Part of the Politics series Politics Portal This box:      A political party is a political organization that seeks to attain political power within a government, usually by participating in electoral campaigns. ... The 1980s refers to the years of and between 1980 and 1989. ...

In 1990, one of its more prominent figures, presidential candidate and former guerrilla commander Carlos Pizarro Leongómez, while aboard an airline flight, was murdered by assassins, supposedly on the orders of drug cartel and paramilitary leaders (disappeared AUC commander Carlos Castaño publicly admitted his own responsibility for the murder in a 2002 book and interviews). Some of its other members were also subject to multiple threats or likewise murdered. Antonio Navarro Wolff replaced the deceased Pizarro as candidate and leader of the party, finishing third in that year's presidential race. MCMXC redirects here; for the Enigma album, see MCMXC a. ... Retail selling Street selling is the bottom of the chain and can be accomplished through purchasing from prostitutes, through cloaked retail stores or refuse houses for users in the act located in red-light districts which often also deal in paraphernalia, dealers marketing merriment at night clubs and other events... A paramilitary organization is a group of civilians trained and organized in a military fashion. ... The AUCs logo The United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia (Autodefensas Unidas de Colombia, or AUC, in Spanish), were formed in April 1997 as an umbrella paramilitary federation seeking to consolidate many local and regional paramilitary groups in Colombia, each intending to protect different local economic, social and political... Carlos Castaño Gil is the founder of the Autodefensas Campesinas de Córdoba y Urabá (ACCU), a right-wing paramilitary organization in Colombia. ... For album titles with the same name, see 2002 (album). ... Antonio Navarro Wolff (born July 9, 1948 in Pasto, Nariño) is a Colombian politician former commander of the 19th of April Movement (M-19) former guerrilla group that demobilized and formed a political party which he also leaded. ...

Despite the continuation of smaller scale violence against it, the AD/M-19 survived through the 90's, achieved favorable electoral results on a local level and actively participated as a high profile political force in the forging of Colombia's modern 1991 constitution, which replaced a conservative document ostensibly dating from 1886. Antonio Navarro was one of the three co-presidents of the Constituent Assembly of Colombia, together with representatives from the Colombian Liberal Party and the Colombian Conservative Party. The 1990s decade refers to the years from the start of 1990 to the end of 1999. ... 1991 (MCMXCI) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1886 (MDCCCLXXXVI) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Sunday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ... The Constituent Assembly of Colombia (Spanish: Asamblea Nacional Constituyente de Colombia) was formed on February 5, 1991, to draft Colombias 1991 constitution. ... Politics of Colombia Categories: Politics stubs | Liberal related stubs | Colombian political parties | Liberal parties ... The Colombian Conservative Party (Spanish: Partido Conservador Colombiano), is a conservative right wing / center right Colombian political party. ...

Several analysts consider that the AD/M-19 reached its peak at this point in time and, while never disappearing completely from the political background, it began to gradually decline in political influence.

After nearly a decade of existence as a political party, in 2003 the AD/M-19 became part of the Independent Democratic Pole coalition. 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Independent Democratic Pole (Polo Democrático Independiente) or (PDI), is a leftwing social democratic Colombian political party. ...

See also

• History of Colombia
• Politics of Colombia

This is the history of Colombia. ... Constitutional Reforms Colombias present constitution, enacted on July 4, 1991, strengthened the administration of justice with the provision for introduction of an accusatorial system which ultimately is to replace entirely the existing Napoleonic Code. ...

Notes

External links

• Chapter on M-19 in COLOMBIA - A Country Study