ABSTRACT
The long armed political conflict in Colombia has among its protagonists a wide-ranging guerrilla movement, with notorious differences with respect to their initial motives, political and ideological objectives, the magnitude of fighters and persistence in military accomplishment. After decades of fighting, many of these guerrilla movements opted for a negotiated solution, abandoned their arms, demobilized the vast majority of fighters, and became transformed into political movements or parties. At present, Colombia is one of the few countries in the Americas with a guerrilla still fighting. However, recently, the peace process is progressing and degrees of violence have declined markedly. Everything indicates that one is facing the end of the guerrilla cycle, not only in Colombia but also in Latin America and the Caribbean. This chapter is an account of 70 years of guerrilla struggle, the history of thousands of women and men who tried to take over political power by means of arms to advance the making of a more just and peaceful society.
