Saturday, February 5, 2011

FARC has 25 foreign members: Army

Colombia's largest rebel group the FARC has 25 foreigners in its ranks, and more than half of them are from Europe, army officials told a local newspaper Thursday. The most famous foreign FARC guerrilla is Dutch national Tanja Nijmeijer, who has been fighting alongside the guerrillas since 2002. But she is not the only Dutch citizen in the guerrilla organization. Newspaper El Tiempo, citing army intelligence sources, reported Thursday that two more Dutch citizens have joined in the rebel group. Without identifying the nationalities or identity of most of the foreign guerrillas, the newspaper said that 14 of the 25 foreigners in the FARC are from Europe.

The FARC is estimated to have between 7,000 and 11,000 members and is considered a terrorist organization by North American governments and the European Union.

Countries with citizens in the FARC:

  • Chile (four)
  • The Netherlands (three)
  • Venezuela (three)
  • Ecuador (two)
  • Canada (one)
  • Argentina (one)
The remaining 11 members are from various countries in Europe

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