SOUTHERN BLOC OF THE FARC-EP

The 'Southern Bloc of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia' was the first bloc to exist and is where the roots of the guerilla movement lie. The bloc has been held responsible for several notorious attacks, including the infamous "donkey-bomb", numerous attacks against military bases, as well as Íngrid Betancourt´s kidnapping. It was also blamed by government investigators and prosecutors for the bombing of the El Nogal club. FARC itself had earlier denied that any of its members were responsible for the attack.
The bloc operates in much of the area that borders with Ecuador and Perú, with some supposed incursions into foreign territory. The government suspects that many FARC leaders may be hiding in the jungles protected by the South Bloc.
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.

Contents

Commanders

2nd Front

3rd Front

13th Front

14th Front

15th Front

32nd Front

48th Front

49th Front

61st Front

Mobile Column Teófilo Forero

See also

Commanders

Alias	Name	Note
Fabián Ramírez	José Benito Cabrera Cuevas
Joaquín Gómez, "Usuriaga"	Milton de Jesús Toncel Redondo
Sonia	Nayibé Rojas	Captured and extradited in 2004.

2nd Front

Also known as the 'Isaías Pardo Front', about 120 militants form it. It operates mostly in the Nariño Department and the Caquetá Department.

Alias	Name	Note
Ovidio Matallana	Bladimir Ballén Garzón

3rd Front

About 100 militants form this front that operates mostly in the Caquetá Department and the Huila Department. Its current leadership is unclear.

Alias	Name	Note
"Montoya"	Hernando Medina	Killed in 2005.

13th Front

About 150 militants form this front that operates mostly in the Caquetá Department and the Huila Department.

Alias	Name	Note
"Caballo"	Alexánder Duque

14th Front

About 250 militants form this front that operates mostly in the Caquetá Department. It is considered one of the most important fronts of the Southern Bloc.

Alias	Name	Note
Fabián Ramírez	José Benito Cabrero Cuevas	Commander of the Southern Bloc.
Faiber		Captured in 2005.

15th Front

Also known as the 'José Ignacio Mora Front', about 250 militants form it. It operates mostly in the Caquetá Department. The group is considered responsible for Íngrid Betancourt´s kidnapping.

Alias	Name	Note
Wilmer
"El Mocho César", "César Arroyabe"	Josué Ceballos	Killed in 2002.

32nd Front

About 170 militants form this front that operates mostly in the Putumayo Department and the Caquetá Department.

Alias	Name	Note
"Robledo"	Humberto Caballero Cortés
Arley Leal	Regulo Leal	Captured in 2007.

48th Front

Also known as the 'Antonio José de Sucre', about 120 militants form it. It operates mostly in the Putumayo Department. The group is very active in the border with Ecuador and is suspected to shelter Raúl Reyes, a high ranking FARC officer.

Alias	Name	Note
Édgar Tovar	Ángel Gabriel Lozada
Uriel	Nelson Yaguará Méndez	Captured in Ecuador in 2005.

49th Front

About 170 militants form this front that operates mostly in the Caquetá Department.

Alias	Name	Note
"El Mojoso"	Wilson Peña Maje

61st Front

Also known as the 'Timanco Front', about 70 militants form it. It operates mostly in the Huila Department.

Alias	Name	Note
"Águila Negra"	Bercelio Castro	Arrested in 2007.
"Franklin"
"El Flaco"

Mobile Column Teófilo Forero

About 90 specialized militants form this powerful group that operates mostly in the Huila Department and the Caquetá Department, with much urban activity around the country.

Alias	Name	Note
"El Paisa"	Óscar Montero
"Yerbas"	Humberto Valbuena Morales	Captured in 2006.

See also

★ Colombian Armed Conflict

★ FARC, Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia

★ FARC-EP Chain of Command

★ Military History of the FARC-EP

★ Military Structure of the FARC-EP

★ Socio-economic Structure of the FARC-EP

★ Eastern Bloc of the FARC-EP

★ Western Bloc of the FARC-EP

★ Central Bloc of the FARC-EP

★ Middle Magdalena Bloc of the FARC-EP

★ Caribbean Bloc of the FARC-EP

★ Northwestern Bloc of the FARC-EP