By Jeremy McDermott
BBC News, Medellin
Marulanda led the Farc from its formation until his death
The legendary leader and founder of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc) is dead.
Can the Colombian rebels, who have never been without the leadership of "Manuel Marulanda" and are under attack from all sides by the US-backed military, survive?
Allegations by military intelligence were confirmed by the Farc in a televised address: Pedro Marin, the real name of "Manuel Marulanda" died of a heart attack on 26 March, lying in the arms of his lover and surrounded by his bodyguards.
So ends a Colombian legend, that of the man who built the Farc from a handful of cousins and friends in 1964 into one of the world's most powerful and richest insurgent groups.
"The Farc are irreversibly weakened and in decline," said Defence Minister Juan Manuel Santos.
"We are winning, but we cannot claim victory yet."
Desertions
March was a disastrous month for the Farc and their ruling body the Secretariat, as three of the seven members died or were killed.
Before Marulanda died he will have known that his right hand man, alias Raul Reyes was killed on 1 March when the Colombian military bombed a Farc camp two kilometres inside Ecuadorean territory.
A week later "Ivan Rios", the youngest member of the Secretariat, was murdered by one of his bodyguards, who chopped off the commander's hand to claim a reward of more than $1m, which was duly paid by the government.
Paying for information, which has become one of the pillars of the government's fight against the Farc, has led to a wealth of intelligence, to which army officials attribute some of the most successful operations against the rebels, including the killing of Raul Reyes in Ecuador.
During a press conference given by Mr Santos, radio intercepts were played that confirmed other military intelligence reports, that the man with the alias Alfonso Cano (real name Guillermo Leon Saenz), is the new commander-in-chief of the rebel army.
There are doubts that Cano, the group's top ideologue, will be able to replace Marulanda effectively.
"Marulanda was a mythic founder who gave cohesion to the rebels," said Alejo Vargas, a university professor and conflict analyst.
Analysts and army intelligence believe that the death of Marulanda could trigger a wave of desertions, further weakening the Farc and providing a treasure trove of information with which the military can hammer away at commanders and units that remain in the field.
"Karina" handed herself in to the Colombian authorities
Even before Marulanda's death, desertion had become the Achilles Heel of the guerrillas.
More than 220 rebels deserted in the first quarter of this year alone.
Thanks to generous subsidies for those who surrender and judicial breaks for those convicted of crimes, many rebels, especially those from units under pressure from the army, have turned themselves in.
An unexpected coup came in the form of a woman with the alias "Karina", who deserted on 19 May.
She was an iconic figure in the Farc, one of the top women commanders and seen in the movement as something of a female Rambo.
Half-starved and on the run from the military for months, the head of the 47th Front surrendered saying that the military struggle for power was over.
'Divisions'
During failed peace negotiations from 1999 to 2002 with the previous government of Andres Pastrana, there was evidence that elements within the Farc were serious about looking for a peaceful solution, but that Marulanda's authority was beyond question.
Some analysts see the prospects for peace improving with the passing of the founding leader and the ascension of Cano.
"Marulanda was a hard-line communist of the old agrarian school," said General Manuel Jose Bonnett, a former head of the armed forces. "We may now see a more pragmatic and modern approach from the Secretariat."
Mono Jojoy (r) is said to be many field commanders' choice of leader
There have long been rumours of divisions within the Farc between the political wing, represented by Cano, and the military wing, led by Mono Jojoy, who commands the most powerful of the guerrilla divisions, the Eastern Bloc, which has some 4,000 fighters.
"For many field commanders of the Farc, the natural leader would be Mono Jojoy," said an intelligence source.
"He was once the bodyguard of Marulanda, a man who understands guerrilla warfare and who planned many of the biggest successes the Farc have had."
As well as much of the military power, Jojoy also has some of the biggest coca-growing areas under his influence.
It is from these that cocaine is produced and where the Farc gets the lion's share of its money.
Should Jojoy make a bid for the leadership, the Farc could split.
However, the approval of Alfonso Cano would have come from the Secretariat, of which Mono Jojoy is also a member - meaning a joint decision would have been reached.
Nobody believes the Farc is going to unravel, as happened with Peru's Shining Path after the capture of its leader Abimael Guzman in 1992.
The Farc is structured to withstand the loss of key leaders and enough men of high profile and charisma survive to ensure that there is continuity.
The fact that the Farc still receives hundreds of millions of dollars from drugs, kidnapping and extortion, ensures that it will still be able to recruit and equip new levies.
On 26 May, the Farc will mark its 44th anniversary, but there will not be much to celebrate.
BBC News, Medellin
Marulanda led the Farc from its formation until his death
The legendary leader and founder of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc) is dead.
Can the Colombian rebels, who have never been without the leadership of "Manuel Marulanda" and are under attack from all sides by the US-backed military, survive?
Allegations by military intelligence were confirmed by the Farc in a televised address: Pedro Marin, the real name of "Manuel Marulanda" died of a heart attack on 26 March, lying in the arms of his lover and surrounded by his bodyguards.
So ends a Colombian legend, that of the man who built the Farc from a handful of cousins and friends in 1964 into one of the world's most powerful and richest insurgent groups.
"The Farc are irreversibly weakened and in decline," said Defence Minister Juan Manuel Santos.
"We are winning, but we cannot claim victory yet."
Desertions
March was a disastrous month for the Farc and their ruling body the Secretariat, as three of the seven members died or were killed.
Before Marulanda died he will have known that his right hand man, alias Raul Reyes was killed on 1 March when the Colombian military bombed a Farc camp two kilometres inside Ecuadorean territory.
A week later "Ivan Rios", the youngest member of the Secretariat, was murdered by one of his bodyguards, who chopped off the commander's hand to claim a reward of more than $1m, which was duly paid by the government.
Paying for information, which has become one of the pillars of the government's fight against the Farc, has led to a wealth of intelligence, to which army officials attribute some of the most successful operations against the rebels, including the killing of Raul Reyes in Ecuador.
During a press conference given by Mr Santos, radio intercepts were played that confirmed other military intelligence reports, that the man with the alias Alfonso Cano (real name Guillermo Leon Saenz), is the new commander-in-chief of the rebel army.
There are doubts that Cano, the group's top ideologue, will be able to replace Marulanda effectively.
"Marulanda was a mythic founder who gave cohesion to the rebels," said Alejo Vargas, a university professor and conflict analyst.
Analysts and army intelligence believe that the death of Marulanda could trigger a wave of desertions, further weakening the Farc and providing a treasure trove of information with which the military can hammer away at commanders and units that remain in the field.
"Karina" handed herself in to the Colombian authorities
Even before Marulanda's death, desertion had become the Achilles Heel of the guerrillas.
More than 220 rebels deserted in the first quarter of this year alone.
Thanks to generous subsidies for those who surrender and judicial breaks for those convicted of crimes, many rebels, especially those from units under pressure from the army, have turned themselves in.
An unexpected coup came in the form of a woman with the alias "Karina", who deserted on 19 May.
She was an iconic figure in the Farc, one of the top women commanders and seen in the movement as something of a female Rambo.
Half-starved and on the run from the military for months, the head of the 47th Front surrendered saying that the military struggle for power was over.
'Divisions'
During failed peace negotiations from 1999 to 2002 with the previous government of Andres Pastrana, there was evidence that elements within the Farc were serious about looking for a peaceful solution, but that Marulanda's authority was beyond question.
Some analysts see the prospects for peace improving with the passing of the founding leader and the ascension of Cano.
"Marulanda was a hard-line communist of the old agrarian school," said General Manuel Jose Bonnett, a former head of the armed forces. "We may now see a more pragmatic and modern approach from the Secretariat."
Mono Jojoy (r) is said to be many field commanders' choice of leader
There have long been rumours of divisions within the Farc between the political wing, represented by Cano, and the military wing, led by Mono Jojoy, who commands the most powerful of the guerrilla divisions, the Eastern Bloc, which has some 4,000 fighters.
"For many field commanders of the Farc, the natural leader would be Mono Jojoy," said an intelligence source.
"He was once the bodyguard of Marulanda, a man who understands guerrilla warfare and who planned many of the biggest successes the Farc have had."
As well as much of the military power, Jojoy also has some of the biggest coca-growing areas under his influence.
It is from these that cocaine is produced and where the Farc gets the lion's share of its money.
Should Jojoy make a bid for the leadership, the Farc could split.
However, the approval of Alfonso Cano would have come from the Secretariat, of which Mono Jojoy is also a member - meaning a joint decision would have been reached.
Nobody believes the Farc is going to unravel, as happened with Peru's Shining Path after the capture of its leader Abimael Guzman in 1992.
The Farc is structured to withstand the loss of key leaders and enough men of high profile and charisma survive to ensure that there is continuity.
The fact that the Farc still receives hundreds of millions of dollars from drugs, kidnapping and extortion, ensures that it will still be able to recruit and equip new levies.
On 26 May, the Farc will mark its 44th anniversary, but there will not be much to celebrate.
