Colombia Elects First Leftist President Gustavo Petro

Leftist leader Gustavo Petro has become Colombia's new president after winning against real estate millionaire Rodolfo Hernández in the 2022 presidential elections.

He's the first progressive to do so in the country's history, marking a drastic shift in Colombia's political game.



However, long before Mr Petro had a career in politics, he was once part of the M-19 guerrilla rebel group.

From kidnappings to elusive conspiracy theories around Pablo Escobar, the group often used violence to seize power over the country.

If you're a fan of the American crime drama Narcos — which delves into the world of drugs and Colombian politics in the 1980s and 90s — then their name might sound familiar.

But what do we actually know about the lucrative group?

Here's a deep dive into their colourful history.



Between sword stealing and drug cartels, the dark history of the M-19 rebel group is as colourful as the Narcos series, but the fictional depiction is not always as accurate.

The group formed in response to unhappiness over under-represented groups in the county's 1970 election.

They were also known as the 19th of April Movement (Movimiento 19 de Abril), named for the date that the group asserted the1970 election was "stolen" from former dictator Gustavo Rojas Pinilla, according to Encyclopedia Britannica.

In 1980, M-19 stormed the embassy of the Dominican Republic in Bogota and took 52 hostages, including 15 ambassadors.

In 1985, they stormed Bogota's Palace of Justice, leading to the deaths of more than 100 people, including nearly half of the country’s Supreme Court justices.

Members of the group took over the palace and held the Supreme Court hostage, intending to hold a trial against then-president Belisario Betancur.

Supreme Court President Alfonso Reyes Echandia, who died in the siege, pleaded in telephone calls to a Bogota radio station for a ceasefire and dialogue with the rebels.

Mr Betancur refused to call off the siege.

But it was when the group stole a sword — that belonged to South America's revered liberator Simon Bolivar — that they launched to national attention.