Profiles: Colombia's armed groups

Colombia's civil conflict spans more than four decades and has drawn in left-wing rebels and right-wing paramilitaries. Here are profiles of the three main armed groups: REVOLUTIONARY ARMED FORCES OF COLOMBIA (FARC) The Farc is the oldest and largest group among Colombia's left-wing rebels - and is one of the world's richest guerrilla armies. The group was founded in 1964, when it declared its intention to use armed struggle to overthrow the government and install a Marxist regime. But tactics changed in the 1990s, as right-wing paramilitary forces attacked the rebels, and the Farc became increasingly involved in the drug trade to raise money for its campaign. Some analysts believe the group has lost its political vision and that drugs have changed the way it fights. Kidnapping and extortion are now often an end in... [read full story]