FARC Alexia

Judith and Isa, two female FARC guerrillas from the bloque movil Arturo Ruiz, inside one of the FARC camps. The Bloque Movil Arturo Ruiz of the revolutionary armed forces of Colombia (FARC) are a special unit of FARC who fight in many different regions of Colombia. This unit is like a quick reaction force who help other sub-groups of FARC. About 35% of the Colombian Territory is under the strict control of the Revolutionary Forces of Colombia, or the FARC, as the self-declared Marxist-Leninist guerrilla is known in this country, where they have operated since 1964. As a result of the total lack of infrastructures and presence of the state in these regions, the civil population living in these territories has nearly no alternatives. Poverty, the cultivation of coca leaves or the incorporation to the armed group present at the area are the only choices left. The cultivation of coca leaves is the only choice actually left to farmers, if they wish to survive and support their families. The armed groups that operate in the area guarantee the purchase of the entire harvest. Photo by Alvaro Ybarra Zavala/Getty Images Reportage