Rolando Morán
Encyclopedia
Comandante Rolando Morán (December 29, 1929, Quetzaltenango
– September 11, 1998, Guatemala City
) is the nom de guerre
of Ricardo Arnoldo Ramírez de León, a former leader of Guatemalan National Revolutionary Unity
(URNG), an armed Guatemala
n resistance organization. At the time of his death he held the post of Secretary General of the URNG.
Ramírez studied law at National University of San Carlos
. At the end of the 1940s he became active as a counselor in the road construction trade union
. He joined the Communist Party of Guatemala
during the democratic period of the country (1944–54). It was in this time that he became acquainted with Che Guevara
, who was touring the country. This was the beginning of a friendship of many years.
Ramírez began to fight Guatemala's rightist dictatorship
after leftist president Jacobo Arbenz was overthrown by a U.S.-sponsored 1954 military coup. He was one of the organizers of the Guerrilla Army of the Poor
in 1972, one of the four organizations which later formed the URNG. An unparalleled destruction campaign by the army under the 1982-83 presidency of General Efraín Ríos Montt
, however, set an end for Ramírez's hopes for armed resistance against the government, and it became clear to him that the end of the armed conflict could be attained probably only by a negotiated solution.
Ramírez was involved in the peace process between the guerrilla and the government that restored democracy
to Guatemala on December 29, 1996 and ended a 36-year-long civil war
. After living many years in exile, President Álvaro Arzú
allowed him to return to the country, and the URNG become a legal political party
. Jointly with Arzú, he received the 1996 UNESCO
Félix Houphouët-Boigny Peace Prize
.
Ramírez died in Guatemala City in 1998 and was survived by his wife, three sons and four grandchildren.
Quetzaltenango
Quetzaltenango, also commonly known by its indigenous name, Xelajú , or more commonly, Xela , is the second largest city of Guatemala. It is both the capital of Quetzaltenango Department and the municipal seat of Quetzaltenango municipality....
– September 11, 1998, Guatemala City
Guatemala City
Guatemala City , is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Guatemala and Central America...
) is the nom de guerre
Pseudonym
A pseudonym is a name that a person assumes for a particular purpose and that differs from his or her original orthonym...
of Ricardo Arnoldo Ramírez de León, a former leader of Guatemalan National Revolutionary Unity
Guatemalan National Revolutionary Unity
The Guatemalan National Revolutionary Unity is a Guatemalan political party that started as a guerrilla movement but laid down its arms in 1996 and became a legal political party in 1998 after the peace process after the Guatemalan Civil War.-Formation:Since the CIA-backed...
(URNG), an armed Guatemala
Guatemala
Guatemala is a country in Central America bordered by Mexico to the north and west, the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, Belize to the northeast, the Caribbean to the east, and Honduras and El Salvador to the southeast...
n resistance organization. At the time of his death he held the post of Secretary General of the URNG.
Ramírez studied law at National University of San Carlos
Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala
The Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala It is the biggest and oldest university of Guatemala, also it is the fourth founded in the Americas....
. At the end of the 1940s he became active as a counselor in the road construction trade union
Trade union
A trade union, trades union or labor union is an organization of workers that have banded together to achieve common goals such as better working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labour contracts with...
. He joined the Communist Party of Guatemala
Guatemalan Party of Labour
The Guatemalan Party of Labour was a communist party in Guatemala. It existed from 1949 to 1998. It gained prominence during the government of Col. Jacobo Arbenz...
during the democratic period of the country (1944–54). It was in this time that he became acquainted with Che Guevara
Che Guevara
Ernesto "Che" Guevara , commonly known as el Che or simply Che, was an Argentine Marxist revolutionary, physician, author, intellectual, guerrilla leader, diplomat and military theorist...
, who was touring the country. This was the beginning of a friendship of many years.
Ramírez began to fight Guatemala's rightist dictatorship
Dictatorship
A dictatorship is defined as an autocratic form of government in which the government is ruled by an individual, the dictator. It has three possible meanings:...
after leftist president Jacobo Arbenz was overthrown by a U.S.-sponsored 1954 military coup. He was one of the organizers of the Guerrilla Army of the Poor
Guerrilla Army of the Poor
The Guerrilla Army Of The Poor was Guatemalan guerrilla movement, one of the four organizations comprising the Guatemalan National Revolutionary Unity that negotiated and signed the Peace accords in Guatemala with the Government and the Army of Guatemala.Initially, the guerrilla...
in 1972, one of the four organizations which later formed the URNG. An unparalleled destruction campaign by the army under the 1982-83 presidency of General Efraín Ríos Montt
Efraín Ríos Montt
José Efraín Ríos Montt is a former de facto President of Guatemala, dictator, army general, and former president of Congress. In the 2003 presidential elections, he unsuccessfully ran as the candidate of the ruling Guatemalan Republican Front .Huehuetenango-born Ríos Montt remains one of the most...
, however, set an end for Ramírez's hopes for armed resistance against the government, and it became clear to him that the end of the armed conflict could be attained probably only by a negotiated solution.
Ramírez was involved in the peace process between the guerrilla and the government that restored democracy
Democracy
Democracy is generally defined as a form of government in which all adult citizens have an equal say in the decisions that affect their lives. Ideally, this includes equal participation in the proposal, development and passage of legislation into law...
to Guatemala on December 29, 1996 and ended a 36-year-long civil war
Guatemalan Civil War
The Guatemalan Civil War ran from 1960-1996. The thirty-six-year civil war began as a grassroots, popular response to the rightist and military usurpation of civil government , and the President's disrespect for the human and civil rights of the majority of the population...
. After living many years in exile, President Álvaro Arzú
Álvaro Arzú
Álvaro Enrique Arzú Yrigoyen was the 32nd President of Guatemala from January 14, 1996 until January 14, 2000...
allowed him to return to the country, and the URNG become a legal political party
Political party
A political party is a political organization that typically seeks to influence government policy, usually by nominating their own candidates and trying to seat them in political office. Parties participate in electoral campaigns, educational outreach or protest actions...
. Jointly with Arzú, he received the 1996 UNESCO
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
Félix Houphouët-Boigny Peace Prize
Félix Houphouët-Boigny Peace Prize
The Félix Houphouët-Boigny Peace Prize was established in 1990 by UNESCO:The prize bears the name of Félix Houphouët-Boigny, late former president of Côte d'Ivoire. It is awarded annually. The prize is 122,000 euros, to be shared equally in the case of multiple recipients.-Recipients:-External...
.
Ramírez died in Guatemala City in 1998 and was survived by his wife, three sons and four grandchildren.
Quote
"This new democratic nation, multi-ethnic, multicultural and multilingual, luxuriant and varied as it is the nature of the population of our country, was born out of the historical synthesis of cultures, wills, opinions and feelings of all Guatemalans united in a single national élan which transcends the system of values inherited from the past." (From the speech of acceptance of the UNESCO Peace Prize, 1997).External links
- UNESCO Awards the Peace Prize. With the acceptance speech by Comandante Morán (1997).