Efraín Guzmán
Encyclopedia
Noel Matta Matta-Guzmán also known by his nom de guerre Efraín Guzmán (c. 1937 - 2002) was a Colombia
n guerrilla leader, founding member of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia
(FARC). Colombian military intelligence reported his death of natural causes in 2002.http://www.tkb.org/KeyLeader.jsp?memID=202
, Tolima Department. During his childhood he grew up working as a peasant in the Quindio Department
as Colombian coffee
collector.
, joined the Alfonso Castañeda guerrilla group.
After numerous firefights with the Colombian Army his guerrilla group was forced to retreat to El Guayabero jungle, there he met guerrilla leader Dúmar Aljure
and became commander, dubbed as "Comandante Nariño". With the deescalation of the turmoil era of La Violencia
period Guzman dedicated again to agricultural activities.
ordered a military operation for the recovery of the Marquetalia region
where the guerrillas had taken over the functions of the state, Guzman restarted his militant activities. In 1966, as "Comandante Nariño" Guzman participated in the second conference of the Southern Bloc which constituted the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia
(FARC) in which he also met Manuel Marulanda Velez (Tiro Fijo).
In 1973, after the Conference of Guayabero, Guzman went with Marulanda to southern Tolima Department. The government of Colombia began a military offensive against the guerrillas in the region called Operation Sonora in which the Guzman participated in combats against the Colombian Army but the FARC was greatly crippled. After the Sixth Conference of the FARC "Comandante Nariño" was appointed commander of the 5th Front of the FARC replacing Alberto Martinez killed in combat by the Colombian Army. From this day on he changed his alias to "Efraín Guzmán".
In the Eighth Conference of the FARC Guzman was officially incorporated into the FARC's Secretariat (Higher Command) and was assigned to the Caribbean Bloc of the FARC-EP
.
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
n guerrilla leader, founding member of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia
Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia
The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia – People's Army is a Marxist–Leninist revolutionary guerrilla organization based in Colombia which is involved in the ongoing Colombian armed conflict, currently involved in drug dealing and crimes against the civilians..FARC-EP is a peasant army which...
(FARC). Colombian military intelligence reported his death of natural causes in 2002.http://www.tkb.org/KeyLeader.jsp?memID=202
Early years
According to FARC's official gazette Matta Matta-Guzmán was born in the village of La Lindosa, near the town of ChaparralChaparral, Tolima
Chapparal is a town and municipality in the Tolima department of Colombia. The population of the municipality was 40,880 as of the 1993 census....
, Tolima Department. During his childhood he grew up working as a peasant in the Quindio Department
Quindío Department
Quindío is a department of Colombia. It is in the western central region of the country, crossed by the Andes mountains. Its capital is Armenia. It is famous for the quality of the coffee plantations, colorful architecture, benign weather, variety of hotel accommodations and touristic landmarks...
as Colombian coffee
Colombian coffee
Colombian Coffee is a protected designation of origin granted by the European Union that applies to the coffee produced in Colombia. The Colombian coffee has been recognized worldwide as having high quality and distinctive taste...
collector.
La Violencia
At the age of 16 he moved to Villarrica, Tolima in 1953 where, during the dictatorship of General Gustavo Rojas PinillaGustavo Rojas Pinilla
Gustavo Rojas Pinilla was a Colombian politician, military officer, General of the Army and President of Colombia between 1953 and 1957.- Biographic data :...
, joined the Alfonso Castañeda guerrilla group.
After numerous firefights with the Colombian Army his guerrilla group was forced to retreat to El Guayabero jungle, there he met guerrilla leader Dúmar Aljure
Dumar Aljure
Dumar Aljure was a Colombian guerrilla fighter, bandit, and political figure.-Early life:In 1928, Dumar Aljure was born in Girardot, Cundinamarca, in Colombia. His father was a shopkeeper from Lebanon. He did not receive very much education, and spent some of his youth as a laborer in Bogotá...
and became commander, dubbed as "Comandante Nariño". With the deescalation of the turmoil era of La Violencia
La Violencia
La Violencia is a period of civil conflict in the Colombian countryside between supporters of the Colombian Liberal Party and the Colombian Conservative Party, a conflict which took place roughly from 1948 to 1958 ....
period Guzman dedicated again to agricultural activities.
Colombian armed conflict
In 1964, the government of President Guillermo León ValenciaGuillermo León Valencia
Guillermo León Valencia Muñóz was a Colombian lawyer and statesman, who served as President of Colombia from August 7, 1962 to August 7, 1966.-Personal life:...
ordered a military operation for the recovery of the Marquetalia region
Marquetalia Republic
"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"...
where the guerrillas had taken over the functions of the state, Guzman restarted his militant activities. In 1966, as "Comandante Nariño" Guzman participated in the second conference of the Southern Bloc which constituted the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia
Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia
The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia – People's Army is a Marxist–Leninist revolutionary guerrilla organization based in Colombia which is involved in the ongoing Colombian armed conflict, currently involved in drug dealing and crimes against the civilians..FARC-EP is a peasant army which...
(FARC) in which he also met Manuel Marulanda Velez (Tiro Fijo).
In 1973, after the Conference of Guayabero, Guzman went with Marulanda to southern Tolima Department. The government of Colombia began a military offensive against the guerrillas in the region called Operation Sonora in which the Guzman participated in combats against the Colombian Army but the FARC was greatly crippled. After the Sixth Conference of the FARC "Comandante Nariño" was appointed commander of the 5th Front of the FARC replacing Alberto Martinez killed in combat by the Colombian Army. From this day on he changed his alias to "Efraín Guzmán".
In the Eighth Conference of the FARC Guzman was officially incorporated into the FARC's Secretariat (Higher Command) and was assigned to the Caribbean Bloc of the FARC-EP
Caribbean Bloc of the FARC-EP
The Caribbean Bloc of the FARC-EP is a medium-sized FARC-EP bloc which operates in the Northern areas of Colombia and along the Caribbean coast, with routes and access to the coast being strategically important, and is thus sometimes referred to as the Northern Bloc...
.