The founder and chief of the Colombian Revolutionary Armed Forces (FARC) Pedro Antonio Marín, alias Manuel Marulanda and/or Tirofijo, announced a "general offensive" in a New Year message posted on a website related to the guerrillas.

"It is advisable to cash in on the general crisis faced by the government and the tiredness shown by some military units to work on a general offensive," said Marulanda in his notice dated December 24 and released by the Bolivarian Press Agency (ABP), Efe quoted.

Tirofijo urged his subordinate commanders to "launch armed actions in roads, lanes, jungle, urban centers, villages and garrisons, with no truce for the enemy, as they do it."

The FARC leader made a call to "use different ways of action, mobilizations for very specific purposes, requests for peace from the State, human rights advocacy, civic strikes, reports on massacres and official outrage before domestic and foreign organizations of competent jurisdiction."

The kingpin railed on the Colombian government for its failure to agree on a humanitarian swap where 45 hostages would be handed over in exchange of 500 imprisoned rebels.