Elda Neyis Mosquera García (born 15 August 1963) (

nom de guerre A ''nom de guerre'' (, 'war name') is a pseudonym chosen by someone to use when they are involved in a particular activity, especially fighting in a war. In Ancien régime, ''ancien régime'' Kingdom of France, France it would be adopted by each n ...

Karina a.k.a. Nelly Ávila Moreno) is the former

commander Commander (commonly abbreviated as Cmdr.) is a common naval officer rank as well as a job title in many army, armies. Commander is also used as a rank or title in other formal organizations, including several police forces. In several countri ...

of the 47th Front of FARC-EP, a

communist Communism () is a sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology within the socialist movement, whose goal is the creation of a communist society, a socioeconomic order centered on common ownership of the means of production, di ...

rebel group in

Colombia Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country primarily located in South America with Insular region of Colombia, insular regions in North America. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the north, Venezuel ...

. She surrendered to the Colombian Military on 18 May 2008. She was subsequently tried and found guilty of

kidnapping Kidnapping or abduction is the unlawful abduction and confinement of a person against their will, and is a crime in many jurisdictions. Kidnapping may be accomplished by use of force or fear, or a victim may be enticed into confinement by frau ...

murder Murder is the unlawful killing of another human without justification (jurisprudence), justification or valid excuse (legal), excuse committed with the necessary Intention (criminal law), intention as defined by the law in a specific jurisd ...

, among others, and sentenced to 33 years in jail, but on 6 March 2009 it was announced that she was to be released from prison to serve as "promoter of peace," and to serve as an example for other rebels to entice them to surrender. Moreno was a member of FARC for 24 years prior to her surrender. At a news conference in

Medellín Medellín ( ; or ), officially the Special District of Science, Technology and Innovation of Medellín (), is the List of cities in Colombia, second-largest city in Colombia after Bogotá, and the capital of the department of Antioquia Departme ...

, Moreno said she surrendered because of increasing Colombian army pressure, the deterioration of rebel forces and her fear she might be killed by her own troops for the $900,000 bounty on her head, in the wake of a previous FARC commander ( Iván Ríos) having been murdered by his own bodyguards.

References

External links

BBC story on surrender

Reuters video of statement
1963 births Living people Members of FARC Colombian female murderers Colombian prisoners and detainees Colombian people convicted of murder People convicted of murder by Colombia People imprisoned on terrorism charges Women in 21st-century warfare Women in war in Colombia {{Colombia-bio-stub