Armed Forces of National Liberation (Venezuela)

The Armed Forces of National Liberation (Fuerzas Armadas de Liberación Nacional, FALN) was a Venezuelan Marxist-Leninist guerrilla group active primarily during the 1960s. Formed in the early 1960s with support from the Communist Party of Venezuela (PCV) and elements of the Movement of the Revolutionary Left (MIR), the FALN sought to overthrow the government of Rómulo Betancourt and establish a socialist regime through armed struggle.

The FALN engaged in various acts of sabotage, bombings, kidnappings, and armed clashes with Venezuelan security forces. Their activities aimed to destabilize the government and incite a popular uprising. Prominent figures associated with the FALN included Douglas Bravo, a former military officer who became a leading guerrilla commander.

The group's influence waned in the late 1960s and early 1970s due to government repression, internal divisions, and a shift in political strategy by the PCV and MIR towards participation in electoral politics. Amnesty programs offered by the government also contributed to the demobilization of many FALN members. While the FALN effectively ceased to exist as a major armed force by the mid-1970s, its legacy as a significant left-wing guerrilla movement in Venezuela remains. The group's actions are often cited in discussions of Venezuela's history of political violence and armed insurgency.