ides p read ▁c oca ▁far mers ' ▁march es . ▁These ▁march es ▁brought ▁to ▁a ▁halt ▁several ▁major ▁ar ter ies ▁in ▁southern ▁Colombia . ▁Government ▁officials ▁said ▁that ▁F AR C - EP ▁had ▁forced ▁the ▁protest ers ▁to ▁particip ate . ▁According ▁to ▁social ▁anth rop ologist ▁María ▁Cle men cia ▁Ram í rez , ▁the ▁relationship ▁between ▁the ▁gu err illas ▁and ▁the ▁march es ▁was ▁amb ivalent : ▁F AR C - EP ▁promoted ▁the ▁ 1 9 9 6 ▁protest s ▁as ▁part ▁of ▁their ▁particip atory ▁dem ocracy ▁policies ▁yet ▁also ▁exerc ised ▁author itar ian ism , ▁which ▁led ▁to ▁t ensions ▁and ▁negoti ations ▁with ▁pe asant ▁leaders , ▁but ▁the ▁c ocal ero ▁movement ▁brought ▁propos als ▁on ▁beh alf ▁of ▁the ▁c oca ▁grow ers ▁and ▁def ended ▁its ▁own ▁interests . ▁ ▁French ▁soci ologist ▁A lain ▁Lab r ous se , ▁who ▁has ▁conducted ▁extensive ▁research ▁on ▁the ▁ill ic it ▁n arc ot ics ▁industry ▁in ▁Latin ▁America ▁and ▁Central ▁Asia , ▁has ▁noted ▁similar ities ▁in ▁the ▁reli ance ▁on ▁the ▁drug ▁trade ▁by ▁both ▁the ▁F AR C - EP ▁and ▁the ▁Tal ib an . ▁In ▁his ▁th esis , ▁Lab r ous se ▁as ser ts ▁that ▁the ▁F AR C - EP ▁leadership , ▁like ▁that ▁of ▁the ▁Tal ib an , ▁explicitly ▁b ans ▁the ▁use ▁of ▁dru gs ▁by ▁its ▁membership ▁and ▁within ▁the ▁local ▁population , ▁but ▁vig or ously