The Caribbean Bloc of the FARC-EP was a medium-sized

FARC-EP 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 ...

bloc which operated in the northern areas of Colombia and along the

Caribbean coast Tung Chung, meaning " eastern stream", is an area on the northwestern coast of Lantau Island, Hong Kong. One of the most recent new towns, it was formerly a rural fishing village beside Tung Chung Bay, and along the delta and lower courses of T ...

, with routes and access to the coast being strategically important, and was thus sometimes referred to as the Northern Bloc. At the end of the 1990s the group had much control over the rural areas connecting the urban centers of the Caribbean region, but in the 2000s was forced to retreat into the more inhospitable

Andes The Andes, Andes Mountains or Andean Mountains (; ) are the longest continental mountain range in the world, forming a continuous highland along the western edge of South America. The range is long, wide (widest between 18°S – 20°S ...

. The group's leaders have been held responsible for numerous kidnappings and killings along the entire Caribbean coast, including the urban centers Cartagena, Barranquilla,

Valledupar Valledupar () is a city and municipality in northeastern Colombia. It is the capital of Caesar Department. Its name, ''Valle de Upar'' (Valley of Upar), was established in honor of the Amerindian cacique who ruled the valley; ''Cacique Upar''. T ...

and Santa Marta. This bloc was also the center of the high-profile kidnapping of Fernando Araújo, who recovered his freedom during a

Colombian National Army The National Army of Colombia ( es, Ejército Nacional de Colombia) is the land warfare service branch of the Military Forces of Colombia. With over 361,420 active personnel as of 2020, it is the largest and oldest service branch in Colombia, an ...

offensive in early 2007. The specific divisions of the group are arguable. Some of the believed divisions or "fronts", as they were commonly call them, are shown below. Many of these fronts sometimes worked together towards a certain mission, while others were further divided into "columns" and "companies" with a smaller number of members. For more general information see

FARC-EP Chain of Command 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 ...

Commanders

19th Front

Also known as the José Prudencio Padilla Front, it was composed by up to 200 combatants and operated mostly in the Magdalena Department. *Includes the Marcos Sánchez Castellón Mobile Column.

35th Front

Also known as the Benkos Bioho Front, it was composed by up to 220 combatants and operated mostly in the Sucre Department.

37th Front

This front was considered to be the most dangerous faction of the Caribbean Bloc. It was composed by up to 250 combatants and operated mostly in the Bolívar Department. The 37th Front had a historically strong presence in northern Colombia, once controlling large amounts of territory. Military pressure in the 2000s forced the unit to retreat deeper south while their numbers dwindled. The front was announced as dismantled by the Colombian president

Juan Manuel Santos Juan Manuel Santos Calderón (; born 10 August 1951) is a Colombian politician who was the President of Colombia from 2010 to 2018. He was the sole recipient of the 2016 Nobel Peace Prize. An economist by profession and a journalist by trade ...

in June 2012. *Includes the Cacique Yurbaco Column.

41st Front

Also known as the Cacique Upar Front, this front was composed by up to 180 combatants and operated mostly in the

Cesar Department Caesar Department ( es, Departamento del Cesar, links=no) or simply Caesar () is a department of Colombia located in the north of the country in the Caribbean region, bordering to the north with the Department of La Guajira, to the west with ...

59th Front

This front was composed by up to 200 combatants and operated mostly in the Cesar and

Guajira Department La Guajira () is a department of Colombia. It occupies most of the Guajira Peninsula in the northeast region of the country, on the Caribbean Sea and bordering Venezuela, at the northernmost tip of South America. The capital city of the departm ...

José Antequera Urban Front

This urban network was directly composed by 30 combatants, although it was suspected to include a much larger number of members. It was considered FARC's greatest influence in the coastal city of Barranquilla.

Notes

{{Colombia conflict FARC