Álvaro Fayad Delgado "The Turk" (in Spanish, ''el Turco'') was a Colombian guerrilla, co-founder and leader of the

19th of April movement The 19th of April Movement ( es, Movimiento 19 de Abril), or M-19, was a Colombian guerrilla organisation movement. After its demobilization it became a political party, the M-19 Democratic Alliance (), or AD/M-19. The M-19 traced its ori ...

(M-19), founded in 1970.

Early life

Fayad was born in Ulloa Valley on July 24, 1946 and grew up in

Cartago, Valle del Cauca Cartago () is a city in southwestern Colombia, about west of Bogotá. It is in the extreme northern portion of the Valle del Cauca Department. It is located very close to the city of Pereira, about a 20-minute drive. It is the sixth largest ...

. He obtained his high school diploma from the Seminary of Santa Rosa and entered the

National University of Colombia The National University of Colombia () is a national public research university in Colombia, with general campuses in Bogotá, Medellín, Manizales and Palmira, and satellite campuses in Leticia, San Andrés, Arauca, Tumaco, and La Paz, Ces ...

in 1965 to study psychology. There he met fellow militant

Camilo Torres Restrepo Camilo Torres Restrepo (3 February 1929 – 15 February 1966) was a Colombian Marxist–Leninist, Roman Catholic priest, a proponent of liberation theology, and a member of the National Liberation Army (ELN), a guerrilla organization. During hi ...

. Fayad entered the Communist Youth (Juventudes Comunistas, JUCO) and there met Jaime Bateman Cayón, an influential figure in his life. He and Bateman joined the

Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia – People's Army ( es, link=no, Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de ColombiaEjército del Pueblo, FARC–EP or FARC) is a Marxist–Leninist guerrilla group involved in the continuing Colombian confl ...

, where they remained until the end of 1969, when they entered the

National Popular Alliance The National Popular Alliance or ANAPO (''Alianza Nacional Popular'') was a political party in Colombia. It was founded in 1961 as a movement by the ex-president Gustavo Rojas Pinilla and was disbanded in 1998. Many ANAPO leaders and militants jo ...

Career in M-19

Bateman and Fayad co-founded M-19 in response to the allegedly fraudulent defeat of General

Rojas Pinilla Gustavo Rojas Pinilla (12 March 1900 – 17 January 1975) was a Colombian Army of Colombia, Army general, civil engineer and dictator who ruled as List of presidents of Colombia, 19th President of Colombia as from June 1953 to May 1957. Rojas ...

in the presidential elections of April 19, 1970. Fayad played a very important role within its organization and other guerrilla detachments like the

Popular Liberation Army The Popular Liberation Army ( es, Ejército Popular de Liberación, ''EPL'') is a Colombian anti-revisionist Marxist–Leninist guerrilla group created in 1967. Most of its former members demobilized in 1991, forming the Esperanza, Paz y Liber ...

. On January 17, 1974, M-19 stole the sword of Bolívar, arguing that it symbolized both nationalism and the Bolivarian Movement. Spectacular actions as this were carried out by the M-19 in later years, but they were not successful overall. An arms heist in Cantón Norte only earned a jail term for the leaders of M-19, including Fayad. He went to trial with 219 members of M-19 in a military hearing, and served as his own lawyer; his defense appears in ''The Wars of the Peace'' by Olga Behar, along with descriptions of the torture endured by him and his companions. He was sentenced to 26 years in jail by the Military Court, but he was granted amnesty by the government of

Belisario Betancur Belisario Betancur Cuartas (4 February 1923 – 7 December 2018) was a Colombian politician who served as the 26th President of Colombia from 1982 to 1986. He was a member of the Colombian Conservative Party. His presidency was noted for its at ...

. He met with the chief executive several times to negotiate peace; in October 1983 in

Madrid Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the second-largest city in the European Union (EU), and ...

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

, they negotiated an agreement which was signed in Corinto in August 1984.

Palace of Justice siege

Fayad was killed by the police in the Quinta Paredes district of Bogota in 1986.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fayad, Alvaro 1946 births 1986 deaths Colombian people of Lebanese descent Members of FARC National Popular Alliance politicians 19th of April Movement members Colombian guerrillas killed in action