19th of April Movement
Colombian guerrilla
The 19th of April Movement (Spanish: Movimiento 19 de Abril), or M-19, was a Colombian urban guerrilla movement active in the late 1970s and 1980s. After its demobilization in 1990, it became a political party, the M-19 Democratic Alliance (Alianza Democrática M-19), or AD/M-19.
The M-19 traced its origins to the allegedly fraudulent presidential elections of 19 April 1970, where the left-wing populist National Popular Alliance (ANAPO) of former military dictator Gustavo Rojas Pinilla was defeated by the National Front, a power sharing coalition of the two main establishment parties. M-19 initially proclaimed itself the armed wing of ANAPO, though party leaders denied any association.
The ideology of the M-19 was revolutionary nationalism and democratic socialism, but it claimed its main aim was to open up electoral democracy in Colombia. It was inspired by other South American urban guerrilla groups, such as the Tupamaros in Uruguay and the Montoneros in Argentina. At its height in the mid-1980s, the M-19 was the second largest guerrilla group in Colombia (after the FARC), with the number of active members estimated at between 1,500 and 2,000. Its actions during this period included the theft of Bolívar's sword as well as the Palace of Justice siege. M-19 had 30% women among its members.
The group demobilized in the late 1980s and transitioned to electoral politics, though many of its key leaders would be assassinated by government agents and right-wing paramilitary groups.
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