| Sandra Ramírez | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of the Senate of Colombia | |
| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office 20 July 2018 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Griselda Lobo Silva 1964 or 1965 (age 59–60) La Paz, Colombia |
| Political party | Commons |
| Domestic partner | Manuel Marulanda (d. 2008) |
| Occupation | Militant, politician |
Sandra Ramírez Lobo Silva (née Griselda Lobo Silva; born 1964/1965) was a combatant in the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) from 1981 until the signing of the peace treaty in 2016. In 2018, she was granted a chair to the Senate of Colombia for the Commons party.
Early life
Griselda Lobo Silva was born in La Paz, Santander in 1964 or 1965. She grew up in Santa Helena del Opón, and began Baccalaureate studies in Bucaramanga, but when her mother became ill, she had to drop out of school to help raise her 17 brothers and sisters. It was during this period when she observed FARC members passing through their farm, taking inspiration from one of their commanders who was a woman giving orders to men.
FARC militancy
She joined the FARC in 1981 as a combat nurse and took the nom de guerre of Sandra. Two years later she was transferred to Cundinamarca Department and promoted to guard of the secretariat of the central general staff, which was in peace talks with the government of Belisario Betancur. During this time, her image became public. She later became the radio operator for Manuel Marulanda, a member of the FARC national secretariat, whom she met in November 1983. The two began a romantic partnership, and she helped raise five children he had from a previous relationship.
She was appointed delegate of the FARC in dialogues with the Colombian government in Havana in 2012. At this time she adopted the surname Ramírez, which she chose arbitrarily. The talks led to the signing of a peace treaty where the insurgent group would become a political party, the Common Alternative Revolutionary Force (Commons). It was granted five seats in each chamber of the Colombian Congress as of 20 July 2018. One of these Senate seats was occupied by Ramírez for the term 2018–2022.
Commons party
With the creation of the new Commons party, Ramírez was elected as a member of its national directorate, acting as its spokesperson several times, alongside its president, Rodrigo Londoño. She was elected second vice president of the Senate in 2020.
In 2021, she legally changed her name to Sandra Ramírez Lobo Silva.
References
- Ocampo Rodríguez, Ángel (19 July 2018). "Las nuevas caras que llegan al Congreso de la República" [The New Faces to Arrive at the Congress of the Republic] (in Spanish). RCN Radio. Retrieved 11 October 2022.
- ^ @SandraComunes (28 June 2021). "Oficialmente he cambiado mi nombre a Sandra Ramírez, en el siguiente video les cuento las razones. ¡Vayan a verlo!" [I have officially changed my name to Sandra Ramírez; in the following video I will tell you the reasons. Go see it!] (Tweet) (in Spanish). Retrieved 11 October 2022 – via Twitter.
- ^ Castrillón, Gloria (20 July 2018). "'Sandra Ramírez', la viuda del fundador de las Farc" ['Sandra Ramírez', The Widow of the FARC's Founder]. El Espectador (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 28 March 2019. Retrieved 19 October 2022.
- ^ "Sandra Ramírez, primera ex-Farc en un cargo directivo del Congreso" [Sandra Ramírez, First Ex-FARC Member in a Leadership Position in Congress]. El Tiempo (in Spanish). 21 July 2020. Retrieved 20 October 2022.
- ^ Castrillón, Gloria (23 September 2016). "Mi vida al lado de Manuel Marulanda" [My Life at the Side of Manuel Marulanda]. El Espectador (in Spanish). Retrieved 20 October 2022.
- "Senadora Sandra Ramírez, quien fue compañera sentimental de 'Tirofijo', cuenta su historia" [Senator Sandra Ramírez, Who Was a Sentimental Partner of 'Tirofijo', Tells Her Story] (in Spanish). Canal 1. 27 September 2018. Archived from the original on 11 April 2019. Retrieved 20 October 2022.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - "La FARC y su paso de la selva al capitolio" [The FARC and its Passage from the Jungle to the Capitol]. El Espectador Colombia 2020 podcast (in Spanish). Retrieved 20 October 2022 – via SoundCloud. Segment begins at 4:02.
