Caribbean Bloc of the FARC-EP

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The Caribbean Bloc of the FARC-EP is a medium-sized FARC-EP bloc which operates in the Northern areas of Colombia, and is thus sometimes referred to as the Northern Bloc. At the end of the 1990's the group had much control over the rural areas connecting the urban centers of the Colombian northern coast, but has since been forced to retreat into the more inhospitable Andes. The group's leaders have been held responsible for numerous kidnappings and killings along the entire Caribbean coast, including the urban centers Cartagena, Barranquilla, and Santa Marta. This bloc was also the center of the high-profile kidnapping of Fernando Araújo, who recovered is freedom during an army offensive in early 2007.

The specific divisions of the group are arguable. Because of the current conflict existing in the country, much of the information recovered is conflicting and should not be taken as absolutely reliable. Some of the believed divisions or 'fronts', as they are commonly called, are shown below. It is worth noting that many of these fronts sometimes work together towards a certain mission, while others are further divided into 'columns' and 'companies' with a smaller number of members. For more general information see FARC-EP Chain of Command.

1 Commanders
2 19th Front
3 35th Front
4 37th Front
5 41st Front
6 59th Front
7 José Antequera Urban Front
8 See also

[edit] Commanders

Alias	Name	Note
Bertulfo	Hermilio Cabrera Díaz
Martín Caballero	Gustavo Rueda Díaz
Simón Trinidad	Ricardo Palmera Pineda	Arrested and extradited in 2004.

[edit] 19th Front

Also known as the José Prudencio Padilla Front, it is composed by around 200 combatants and operates mostly in the Magdalena Department.

Alias	Name	Note
Solís Almeida	Abelardo Caicedo Colorado
Beltrán		Demobilized in 2003.

Includes the Marcos Sánchez Castellón Mobile Column.

[edit] 35th Front

Also known as the Benkos Bioho Front, it is composed by around 220 combatants and operates mostly in the Sucre Department. Its leader has not been identified.

[edit] 37th Front

This front is considered by many to be the most dangerous faction of the Caribbean Bloc. It is composed by around 250 combatants and operates mostly in the Bolívar Department.

Alias	Name	Note
Martín Caballero	Gustavo Rueda Díaz
Tobías		Killed in 2006.

Includes the Cacique Yurbaco Column.

[edit] 41st Front

Also known as the Cacique Upar Front, this front is composed by around 180 combatants and operates mostly in the Cesar Department.

Alias	Name	Note
Willintong, Caraquemada	Carlos Julio Vargas Medina

[edit] 59th Front

This front is composed by around 120 combatants and operates mostly in the Guajira Department.

Alias	Name	Note
El Indio	Higuen Enrique Martínez Arias
Pedro Iguarán	Aldo Manuel Moscote

[edit] José Antequera Urban Front

This urban network is directly composed by 30 combatants, although its network is suspected to include a much larger number of members. It is considered FARC´s greatest influence in the coastal city Barranquilla. Its suspected leader was arrested in 2006.

Alias	Name	Note
Juancho, JJ	Juan José Domínguez Vargas	Arrested in 2006.

v • d • e FARC-EP
Organization	Military History of the FARC-EP • Military Structure of the FARC-EP • FARC-EP Chain of Command • FARC Military Strategy in 2005 • Socio-economic Structure of the FARC-EP • Clandestine Colombian Communist Party
Notable personnel	Jacobo Arenas (Founder) (dead) • Manuel Marulanda Vélez (Founder; Commander in chief) • Mono Jojoy • Simón Trinidad (Captured) • Alfonso Cano • Raúl Reyes • Efraín Guzmán • Timoleón Jiménez • Iván Márquez • Iván Ríos • Sonia (Captured)