Jorge Briceño
Encyclopedia
Víctor Julio Suárez Rojas (5 February 1953 – 22 September 2010) — aka Jorge Briceño Suárez aka Mono Jojoy was a high-ranking member of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia
(FARC), a Colombia
n guerrilla organization. He was Second in command to Alfonso Cano
and top military commander. Suárez Rojas commanded the Eastern Bloc of the FARC and was a member of the FARC Secretariat
. His nom de guerre was Jorge Briceño Suárez; to the Colombian army
he was known as Mono Jojoy (mono is the word for monkey
in Spanish, but it also means cute/pretty in Spain
, and blond in Colombia).
and joined the FARC in 1975 at age 22. He grew up without a father and received little education.
Suárez Rojas was under indictment
in the United States
for killing three US citizens, terrorism and narcotics trafficking activities. The Colombian government also indicted Suárez Rojas on charges of rebellion, narcotrafficking, terrorism, kidnapping, and extortion, among other crimes.
Suárez Rojas was implicated in a bombing in Bogotá
that killed 36 and injured more than 100 civilians in February 2003. He was indicted by the United States in 2002 for killing three US citizens in 1999. He also may have been involved in the kidnapping and murder of three US missionaries in 1993. He was wanted on drug-trafficking charges in both Colombia and the United States. More recently, he was charged in early 2006 for forcibly recruiting children for the FARC. Suárez Rojas was one of the most important Colombian guerrilla leaders. The U.S. Attorney General requested his extradition if he were to have been captured.
Suárez Rojas was considered to be one of the most radical rebels in the FARC; he issued the order to demand the resignation of the town mayors and hundreds of civil employees of Colombian municipalities, and to kidnap or execute them if they did not resign their posts. He has been accused by Colombian authorities of participating in the kidnapping of former presidential candidate Ingrid Betancourt
and the massacre of a member from the Turbay Cote family just a few miles from the former demilitarized area of El Caguan
.
He was also accused of participating in the kidnapping of three US contractors. A proof of life video of the three released by the FARC in 2003 showed Mono Jojoy telling them that they were "prisoners . . . in the power of the FARC," and that the governments of the United States and Colombia have "abandoned and forgotten you." The three were rescued in July 2008.
the FARC commander was killed in an operation that began in the early hours of September 21 in the department of Meta, 120 miles south of the capital Bogotá.
According to the GPS of one of the soldiers that took part on the military operation, the exact location of the FARC camp where Mono Jojoy was killed is N02° 48' 14.0", W073° 58'19.4", as can be seen in the minute 02:54 of the Colombian army
video released by Noticias Uno
.
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), a Colombia
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 organization. He was Second in command to Alfonso Cano
Alfonso Cano
Guillermo León Sáenz Vargas , more commonly known by his nom de guerre Alfonso Cano was the commander of the militant group known as Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia...
and top military commander. Suárez Rojas commanded the Eastern Bloc of the FARC and was a member of the FARC Secretariat
FARC-EP Chain of Command
The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia's chain of command is divided as follows:# Commander in Chief of the FARC-EP, ultimate decision maker...
. His nom de guerre was Jorge Briceño Suárez; to the Colombian army
Colombian Army
The National Army of Colombia is the land military force of the government of Colombia and the largest service of the Colombian Armed Forces...
he was known as Mono Jojoy (mono is the word for monkey
Monkey
A monkey is a primate, either an Old World monkey or a New World monkey. There are about 260 known living species of monkey. Many are arboreal, although there are species that live primarily on the ground, such as baboons. Monkeys are generally considered to be intelligent. Unlike apes, monkeys...
in Spanish, but it also means cute/pretty in Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, and blond in Colombia).
Biography
Suárez Rojas was born in Cabrera, CundinamarcaCabrera, Cundinamarca
Cabrera is a town and municipality in Sumapaz Province in Cundinamarca Department, Colombia.This town was founded in the 1920s. It's located 4 hours from Bogota and its area is known by the production of livestock, fruit and more recently the best variety of beans in the world in the mid...
and joined the FARC in 1975 at age 22. He grew up without a father and received little education.
Suárez Rojas was under indictment
Indictment
An indictment , in the common-law legal system, is a formal accusation that a person has committed a crime. In jurisdictions that maintain the concept of felonies, the serious criminal offence is a felony; jurisdictions that lack the concept of felonies often use that of an indictable offence—an...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
for killing three US citizens, terrorism and narcotics trafficking activities. The Colombian government also indicted Suárez Rojas on charges of rebellion, narcotrafficking, terrorism, kidnapping, and extortion, among other crimes.
Suárez Rojas was implicated in a bombing in Bogotá
Bogotá
Bogotá, Distrito Capital , from 1991 to 2000 called Santa Fé de Bogotá, is the capital, and largest city, of Colombia. It is also designated by the national constitution as the capital of the department of Cundinamarca, even though the city of Bogotá now comprises an independent Capital district...
that killed 36 and injured more than 100 civilians in February 2003. He was indicted by the United States in 2002 for killing three US citizens in 1999. He also may have been involved in the kidnapping and murder of three US missionaries in 1993. He was wanted on drug-trafficking charges in both Colombia and the United States. More recently, he was charged in early 2006 for forcibly recruiting children for the FARC. Suárez Rojas was one of the most important Colombian guerrilla leaders. The U.S. Attorney General requested his extradition if he were to have been captured.
Suárez Rojas was considered to be one of the most radical rebels in the FARC; he issued the order to demand the resignation of the town mayors and hundreds of civil employees of Colombian municipalities, and to kidnap or execute them if they did not resign their posts. He has been accused by Colombian authorities of participating in the kidnapping of former presidential candidate Ingrid Betancourt
Íngrid Betancourt
Ingrid Betancourt Pulecio is a Colombian politician, former senator and anti-corruption activist.Betancourt was kidnapped by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia on 23 February 2002 and was rescued by Colombian security forces six and a half years later on 2 July 2008...
and the massacre of a member from the Turbay Cote family just a few miles from the former demilitarized area of El Caguan
El Caguán DMZ
El Caguán DMZ was a demilitarized zone of 42,000 km² in southern Colombia authorized by the government of President Andrés Pastrana to negotiate a peace process with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia ....
.
He was also accused of participating in the kidnapping of three US contractors. A proof of life video of the three released by the FARC in 2003 showed Mono Jojoy telling them that they were "prisoners . . . in the power of the FARC," and that the governments of the United States and Colombia have "abandoned and forgotten you." The three were rescued in July 2008.
Alleged assassination plot
On May 11, 2008 a Colombian military commander told the press several rogue bodyguards of "Mono Jojoy" had been plotting to murder the FARC commander to collect the US$ 5 million reward on his head. Three bodyguards were executed after "Mono Jojoy" found out about the plot, and another three of them are known to have escaped. One turned himself in to the authorities.Chase
On May 24, 2008 the Colombian President Álvaro Uribe announced national forces were pursuing him: "The man called 'Mono Jojoy'--we are after him. He is the picture of health: fat, puffy, wrinkle-free, smartly dressed. But the heroic soldiers and policemen of this country are on to him. Generals, soldiers, policemen of the fatherland: let's get this man on a diet. Make him feed on roots so that this country may rid itself of this 40 year-old headache."Operation Sodoma
Colombian authorities announced the death of Mono Jojoy on September 23, 2010. According to President Juan Manuel SantosJuan Manuel Santos
Juan Manuel Santos Calderón is a Colombian politician who has been the President of Colombia since 7 August 2010. He previously served as Minister of Foreign Trade, Minister of Finance, and Minister of National Defense.-Career:...
the FARC commander was killed in an operation that began in the early hours of September 21 in the department of Meta, 120 miles south of the capital Bogotá.
According to the GPS of one of the soldiers that took part on the military operation, the exact location of the FARC camp where Mono Jojoy was killed is N02° 48' 14.0", W073° 58'19.4", as can be seen in the minute 02:54 of the Colombian army
Colombian Army
The National Army of Colombia is the land military force of the government of Colombia and the largest service of the Colombian Armed Forces...
video released by Noticias Uno
Noticias Uno
Noticias Uno is a nightly Colombian newscast produced by NTC Televisión and aired weekends and holidays on state-owned privately-run Canal Uno....
.