DoNow:Whereisthe“IceMerchant”from?Whatwashisgoalinlife?Wheredidhegethisicefrom?

Referendum- isadirectvoteinwhichanentireelectorateisinvitedtovoteonaparticularproposal.Thismayresultintheadoptionofanewlaw.Insurgent- apersonwhorevoltsagainstcivilauthorityoranestablishedgovernment;especially:arebelnotrecognizedasabelligerent

ContentObjective:PlaceKnowledge:understandgeographicalsimilaritiesanddifferencesthroughthestudyofhumanandphysicalgeographyofaregionofSouthAmerica.

LanguageObjective:AnalyzethehumangeographyoftheTropicalNorthregionofSouthAmerica.Createnotesoutline

Wednesday,November8,2017CurrentIssues:FARCinColombia

Current Issues- FARCLa FARC• A sizable portion of Colombia is controlled not by the government but by

drug cartels or other insurgent groups. The Revolutionary ArmedForces of Colombia (FARC, after the initials in Spanish) are Colombia's largest rebel group.

• They were founded in 1964 as the armed wing of the Communist Partyand follow a Marxist-Leninist ideology. Their main founders were small farmers and land workers who had banded together to fight against the staggering levels of inequality in Colombia at the time.

• There are between 6,000 and 7,000 active fighters.

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Current Issues- FARCWho are they?• The rebels are organized in small tactical groups that in turn make up

larger fighting units which are organized in regional "blocs".• They are controlled by the Secretariat, a group of less than a dozen top

commanders who devise the overarching strategy of the Farc.• The Farc's top leader is Rodrigo Londono Echeverri, better known by his

alias Timochenko.

Current Issues- FARCWhy do they fight?• Inspired by the Cuban revolution in the 1950s, they demanded more

rights and control over the land.• But their communist ideals were seen as a threat by big landowners

and the state, the Farc say that it was after the clashes with the army in Marquetalia that they decided to make their struggle an armed one.

Current Issues- FARCEnemies of the State• The main enemy of the Farc have been the Colombian security forces.

Farc fighters have attacked police stations and military posts, and ambushed patrols.

• But they have also blown up oil pipelines, electricity pylons and bridgesand bombed social clubs.

• Many of their victims have been civilians. They have included children who died when home-made Farc explosives fell short of a rural police station and hit a school, and thousands of people maimed by landmines laid by the Farc.

Current Issues- FARCFinancing a Guerrilla • Analysts think the Farc are among the richest rebel movements in the

world.• Guerrilla commanders have denied the group has stashed away large

sums of money• Colombia is one of the main producers of cocaine and the rebels get a

large part of their income from drug trafficking or levying "taxes" on those who do.

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Current Issues- FARCPeace Talks!• The Farc have been hit hard by the Colombian security forces over the

past years. The Colombian army and police received millions of dollars in funding and training from the US government, much of which they invested in fighting the rebels.

• Many of the top leaders of the Farc were killed or died within the past decade. The number of active fighters also diminished from its estimated high of 20,000 to around 7,000 after thousands of guerrilla fighters were demobilized or killed.

• The Farc themselves insist that they wanted peace all along but that the conditions were not right before.

Current Issues- FARCPeace Talks! Pt. 2• The government of Colombia and the FARC begun peace negotiations in La

Havana Cuba back in 2012. After a referendum that was unsuccessful, a new peace treaty was signed in November 2016, and was ratified by congress.

• The rebels are expected to turn in their weapons and to integrate to society. There is also the possibility of becoming a political party.

• President Juan Manuel Santos, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in October for his efforts to end the country's 53-year conflict, called the disarmament "historic news for Colombians" in a post on Twitter.

• FARC leader Rodrigo "Timochenko" Londono also tweeted that the leftist rebels were laying down their guns "with enthusiasm".

Current Issues- FARCPeace Talks! Pt. 2• On October 10 2017 Colobia’s constitutional court shielded the peace

agreement from any change for 12 years, thus giving certainty to both parties.

• There have been remarkable achievements, of course. In June, the FARC surrendered their guns to the UN, and its guerrillas are now concentrated in reintegration camps. The government has even managed to keep demobilized fighters safe throughout this process.