Manuel Marulanda, Colombian rebel leader (b. 1930)
Pedro Antonio Marín Marín (13 May 1930 [disputed] – 26 March 2008), known by his "nom de guerre" Manuel Marulanda Vélez, was the main leader of the Communist FARC-EP ("Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia – Ejército del Pueblo"). Marulanda was born in a coffee-growing region of west-central Colombia in the Quindío Department, to a peasant family politically aligned with the Liberal Party during conflicts in the 1940s and 1950s.
Marulanda was nicknamed "Tirofijo" (Spanish: Surefire or Sureshot) by his comrades, apparently because of a reputed ability to accurately aim firearms.Marulanda himself changed his political and ideological inclinations to the Communist Party (PCC) during "La Violencia" (roughly 1948 to 1958) that followed the assassination of the Liberal Party's leader Jorge Eliécer Gaitán.
In March 2006, Alberto Gonzales, the Attorney General of the United States, announced in conjunction with Drug Enforcement Administration and United States Department of Justice officials that the US State Department had placed a $5 million reward on Tirofijo's head, or for information leading to his capture. But "Marulanda" was never apprehended, and died of a heart attack on 26 March 2008. He was replaced as commander-in-chief by Alfonso Cano.