OVERVIEW

Segunda Marquetalia flag

The Segunda Marquetalia, one of the largest factions within the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) dissidents, is one of the more dangerous terrorist groups in Colombia. FARC–Segunda Marquetalia (FARC-SM)—Second Marquetalia in English—is a reference to the town of Marquetalia, Colombia, that was the original stronghold of communist peasant militants who would later become the now former FARC. Several commanders of the former FARC, which waged decades of attacks in Colombia since that group’s founding in 1964, formed the FARC-SM in 2019 after rearming and claiming that the Colombian Government had failed to comply with the peace deal it had signed with the former FARC in 2016.

The FARC-SM seeks to control critical areas of Colombia, particularly those associated with drug trafficking. It has had numerous armed confrontations with Colombian authorities as well as with the FARC–People’s Army, a rival dissident faction.

OPERATING AREAS
Based primarily in northeastern Colombia, near the border with Venezuela; also maintains a presence in other parts of the country; some leaders and members reside in Venezuela.

MEMBERS
Approximately 1,000 fighters

TACTICS AND TARGETS
The FARC-SM conducts armed assaults, assassinations, extortion operations, and hostage takings. The group focuses most of its attacks on Colombian Government and military targets and also attacks critical infrastructure. The FARC-SM equips its members with small arms, machine guns, mines, and improvised explosive devices.

FOREIGN TERRORIST GROUP DESIGNATION
The US State Department designated the Segunda Marquetalia as a foreign terrorist organization in November 2021. The State Department also named FARC-SM leader Luciano Marin Arango, a.k.a. Ivan Marquez, and now-deceased leaders Hernan Dario Velasquez Saldarriaga, a.k.a. El Paisa, and Henry Castellanos Garzon, a.k.a. Romana, as specially designated global terrorists in November 2021.

KEY LEADERS

NOTABLE ATTACKS