The united FLNC has operated mainly in Corsica. Many attacks have taken place in the cities of Bastia, Cortia and Ajaccio, as well as the Aleria plain in the east.

The FLNC's main goal is Corsican independence. Other nationalist goals include strengthening Corsican language and culture, as well as protecting the economic status of Corsicans vis-a-vis North Africans and others. Additionally, the FLNC would like to free terrorist comrades imprisoned in France, or repatriate them to Corsican prisons.

The FLNC may have some 600 fighters. This number is based on militant attendance at a secret press conference held in Tralonca, Corsica, in January of 1996. The fractured nature of its activities makes accurate assessments difficult. Women are not allowed to be members of the FLNC.

Charles Pieri, leader of the FLNC-Union des Combattants (FLNC-UC) and one of the heads of FLNC's political wing, A Cuncolta Naziunalista, conducted significant fundraising for Corsican terrorism. Pieri used front companies, including a cleaning company and security firm, to redirect money to FLNC activities. Organized crime ties are among its most important external links.

The united FLNC committed thousands of bombings in the 1970s and 1980s. Targets of these bombings included police stations, military buildings, banks, tourist installations and other public buildings. Generally, FLNC attacks attempted to maximize damage to infrastructure while minimizing human casualties.

The 1990s saw a distinct change in tactics, as FLNC splintering accelerated and more groups competed for turf and influence. FLNC-related groups began using greater quantities of explosives in bombings and paid less attention to avoiding civilian casualties.

In 1996, the historic wing of the FLNC began conducting attacks in France. The splinter group targeted senior government officials, succeeding in assassinating Claude Erignac, the prefect of Corsica and the senior French government representative on the island. More recently, the FLNC and its splinter groups have conducted dozens of bombings annually in Corsica and France.

The FLNC uses financial crime to support its terrorist operations, including "revolutionary taxation" (extortion), misappropriation, money laundering, robbery, embezzlement and counterfeiting. Connections to Mafia groups and involvement in other criminal activities have also proven to be a significant source of revenue.

FLNC and FLNC-related groups are terrorist organizations based in Corsica fighting for independence from France. The groups are generally leftist in nature, and publicly support socialist ideology. The FLNC does not allow female members. The FLNC movement gained strength as a result of Algerian independence from France in 1962. The repatriation of French settlers from Algeria to Corsica, and preferential treatment for those newcomers, helped increase tensions on the island. However, in more recent years, splinter groups such as Clandestini Corsi and Mouvement Clandestini Anonyme have taken a different ideological turn, opposing immigration and targeting North Africans.

Ghjustizia Paolina and the Fronte Paesanu Corsu di Liberazione merged in 1976 to form the FLNC. The terrorist organization fractured in the late 1980s, splitting outright in the 1990s because of political differences. The split in the FLNC divided members into "historic" (canal historique) and "traditional" (canal habituel) wings. This led to further splintering, and the emergence of groups such as Resistenza, Fronte Ribellu and Front Arme Revolutionnaire Corse. The Accolta Nazinale Corse and Sampieru, other smaller Corsican-based terrorist groups, are offshoots of the historic wing of the FLNC.

The historic wing of the FLNC joined with several other smaller terrorist organizations in 1999, reclaiming the FLNC name. The recreated FLNC followed this unification with a three-month cease-fire in December of 1999. The cease-fire was extended indefinitely, though fighting between Corsican terrorist groups flared in 2000.

On. Nov. 14, 2003, another cease-fire was declared by the main FLNC group, the FLNC-UC, but this was not strictly implemented. This truce ended March 9, 2005, though not all Corsican groups had paid attention to the cease-fire declaration. For example, FLNC-22 Octobre, another splinter group, never adhered to the FLNC's 2003 cease-fire and escalated its attacks in 2004.

Prime Minister Lionel Jospin was the first French leader to negotiate with Corsican terrorists. In July of 2000, he proposed transferring some powers to the Corsican assembly. His "Matigon Process," continued by successor Jeane-Pierre Raffarin, would have given local lawmakers greater authority and led to Corsican language training in schools. It was rejected in a July 6, 2003, island referendum.

July 6: Corsica voted against a referendum that would have given local lawmakers greater authority to legislate on Corsican affairs.

August: Resistenza Corsa joined the FLNC.

Nov. 14: The main FLNC group, FLNC-Union des Combattants, declared a cease-fire.

March 9: FLNC-UC ended its declared cease-fire that had been declared since the previous November. The cease-fire had been violated multiple times.

March 12: The FLNC detonated a bomb at a public-works depot in Ajaccio, Corsica. The attack, intended as a protest against the trial of FLNC leader Pieri, injured five people.

Sep. 29: FLNC-UC launched a rocket attack on the Ajaccio prefecture, purportedly in response to government plans to privatize ferry operations on Corsica.

Dec. 21: Two bombs hit vacation homes in the marina of Lumino, Corsica. The explosives were described as a beer barrel filled with a chlorate-based explosive mixture. Another attack struck a holiday villa in the Balagne region, outside Calvi. The FLNC-22 Octobre group may have been responsible for these and as many as 15 other attacks, six of which targeted vacation homes.

May 11-12: The FLNC placed a series of bombs around Corsica during the night. One device detonated at EDF electric company offices in Porto-Vecchio. Another exploded at a post office in the center of Corte. A third bomb blew up at a tax office in Ajaccio.

Aug. 15: The FLNC bombed a home in Rapale, Haute-Corse, Corsica. The explosive device included a gas and chlorate mixture.

Sep. 13: the FLNC-UC claimed responsibility for 21 attacks on Corsica, most targeting resorts and villas.

Sept. 24: FNLC conducted the second rocket attack on a police barracks in 10 days, this time hitting a facility in Bastia.

Dec. 14: Yvan Colonna was convicted of the murder of Erignac and sentenced to life in prison.

Dec. 23: Two bombs exploded almost simultaneously before dawn at the Corsican treasury building and a police barracks in Ajaccio. Two people were injured.

April 21: Authorities dismantled a FLNC terrorist cell, the first since 2002. Security forces arrested seven persons suspected of participation in multiple attacks during the past year.

April: Local Corsican separatists, Basque Fatherland and Liberty (ETA) members and ultra-left anarchist factions were responsible for the majority of 2008 incidents that French authorities classified as terrorism, according to a U.S. State Dept. review. There were fewer Corsican and ETA attacks in France, declining to 397 in 2008 versus 532 the previous year. French authorities detained and prosecuted a number of people with ties to various terrorist organizations; Corsican separatists accounted for 46 convictions.