Álvaro Fayad Delgado a.k.a. "The Turk" (; July 24, 1946 – March 13, 1986) was a Colombian guerrilla who co-founded and lead the

19th of April movement The 19th of April Movement (), or M-19, was a Colombian urban guerrilla movement active in the late 1970s and 1980s. After its demobilization in 1990 it became a political party, the M-19 Democratic Alliance (), or AD/M-19. The M-19 tra ...

(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. It is located very close to the city of Pereira, Risaralda 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, ...

in 1965 to study psychology. There he met fellow militant Camilo Torres Restrepo. Fayad entered the Colombian Communist Youth (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 (, FARC–EP or FARC) was a Marxist–Leninist Guerrilla warfare, guerrilla group involved in the continuing Colombian conflict starting in 1964. The FARC-EP was officially founded in ...

, 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 joi ...

Career in M-19

Bateman and Fayad co-founded M-19 in response to the allegedly fraudulent defeat of General Rojas Pinilla in the presidential elections of April 19, 1970. Fayad played a critical role within its organization and other guerrilla detachments like the

Popular Liberation Army The Popular Liberation Army (, ''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 Libertad ( Hope, Peace, and Liberty) part ...

. On January 17, 1974, M-19 stole the sword of Bolívar, arguing that it symbolized both nationalism and the Bolivarian Movement. Seventeen years later, on January 31, 1991, M-19 leader Antonio Navarro returned the sword as part of the group's peace negotiations with the government. 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 List of Presidents of Colombia, 26th President of Colombia from 1982 to 1986. He was a member of the Colombian Conservative Party. His ...

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

Madrid Madrid ( ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in Spain, most populous municipality of Spain. It has almost 3.5 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 7 million. It i ...

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

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

Palace of Justice siege

Death

Fayad was killed by the police in the Quinta Paredes district of Bogotá 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 National University of Colombia alumni