Víctor Julio Suárez Rojas or Mono Jojoy was another instrumental leader in the Secretariat of the FARC. Jojoy was born in the early 1950’s to liberal parents who were members of a self-defense force. In his early teen Jojoy was already served as a messenger for the organization, and Marulanda began mentoring Jojoy. Marulanda arranged for Jojoy to travel to the USSR to receive political education and military training, Upon his return to Colombia, Jojoy officially became a guerrilla within FARC and worked his way up the ranks and was eventually recognized as second in command behind Marulanda. Jojoy served for nearly three decades as the FARC’s number two in command until he was killed by Colombian forces in 2010.
