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Top 5 signs of a weakening FARC in Colombia

In a historic shift, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) says it will no longer use kidnapping as a tool for political and financial gain. The shift comes after three years of government success in weakening the group. Here are five of the defining moments.

3. Killing of Raúl Reyes, Iván Rios

  • By Sara Miller Llana Staff writer

Raúl Reyes, the FARC's No. 2, was killed March 1, 2008 at his hideout in neighboring Ecuador. The event caused diplomatic row in Latin America, as Colombian security forces had crossed the border without Ecuadorean consent to bomb the hideout.

Days later, another member of the FARC’s secretariat, Iván Ríos, was murdered by his security guard while he was sleeping. It was a sign of intra-FARC conflict that has increased amid ongoing blows against the group.

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Mark Sappenfield
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