19th of April Movement

19th of April Movement
Movimiento 19 de Abril
Flag and logo of the M-19.
Leaders	Jaime Bateman Cayón # (17 January 1974 – 28 April 1983) Iván Marino Ospina † (28 April 1983 – 28 August 1985) Álvaro Fayad † (28 August 1985 – 13 March 1986) Carlos Pizarro Leongómez (13 March 1986 – 8 March 1990) Carlos Toledo Plata
Dates of operation	17 January 1974 – 8 March 1990
Country	Colombia
Headquarters	Cauca Caquetá Nariño Valle del Cauca Quindío
Active regions	Concentrated in southern and central Colombia
Ideology	Bolivarianism Left-wing nationalism Revolutionary socialism
Political position	Far-left
Major actions	Theft of Bolívar's sword (1974) Kidnapping and Murder of José Raquel Mercado (1976) Theft of weapons from the North Canton (1978) Takeover of the embassy of the Dominican Republic (1980) Hijacking of the Aeropesca Curtis C-46 Plane (1981) Sinking of El Karina (1981) Kidnapping of Martha Nieves Ochoa (1981) Battle of Yarumales (1984) Battalion America (1986) Kidnapping of Álvaro Gómez Hurtado (1988) Kidnapping of politicians, industrialists and journalists 48 Guerrilla takeovers of towns. Intervention of newspapers, radio and television. Attacks on Battalions and Embassies. Theft of milk trucks to distribute the merchandise in popular sectors
Notable attacks	Attack on the House of Nariño (1982) Palace of Justice Siege Dominican Republic embassy siege
Part of	Simón Bolívar Guerrilla Coordinating Board
Allies	¡Alfaro Vive, Carajo! Túpac Amaru Revolutionary Movement Sandinista National Liberation Front Tupamaros
Opponents	Government of Colombia Colombian paramilitary groups Muerte a Secuestradores
Succeeded by M-19 Democratic Alliance

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.^[1]

The ideology of the M-19 was revolutionary nationalism, but it claimed its main aim was to open up electoral democracy in Colombia.^[2] 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.

The group demobilized in the late 1980s and transitioned to electoral politics, though many of its key leaders would be assassinated. The M-19 Democratic Alliance merged with ANAPO in 2003 to form the Independent Democratic Pole party, the predecessor of today's Alternative Democratic Pole. Other former members joined various left-wing parties, including the Green Alliance and Humane Colombia, the latter formed by ex-member Gustavo Petro. Petro would go on to unite these parties in his Pacto Histórico coalition, which won the 2022 elections to form Colombia's current governing coalition.^[3]