Fight between FARC dissidents leaves 27 dead in Colombia

Archive image shows FARC guerrillas heading towards transitional zones, where disarmament took place, in 2017. HO/Prensa Bloque Sur FARC/AFP At least 27 members of a dissent from the former Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) died in clashes with another rival armed group, also a branch of the FARC, in southwestern Colombia, the country’s military told Reuters and Associated Press this Sunday (18). ✅ Follow the g1 international news channel on WhatsApp The clashes, according to the military, occurred over a dispute over control of a strategic area in the Colombian Amazon used in the production and trafficking of cocaine. The area is in a rural region of the municipality of El Retorno, in the state of Guaviare, about 300 kilometers from Bogotá, the country’s capital. According to the Army, the confrontation involved two rival factions formed by former FARC guerrillas. One of the groups is led by Néstor Gregorio Vera, known as “Iván Mordisco”, and the other by Alexander Díaz Mendoza, known as “Calarcá Córdoba”. ➡️ Iván Mordisco is considered one of Colombia’s most wanted criminals and leads a group that abandoned peace negotiations with the government of the country’s president, Gustavo Petro, last year. ➡️ Calarcá now commands another dissident wing that maintains some dialogue with the government, but is viewed with suspicion due to suspicions of involvement in crimes and infiltrations. Authorities say the dead belonged to the group led by Mordisco. A representative of the rival faction confirmed to Reuters both the fighting and the number of victims. See the trending videos on g1 See the trending videos on g1 Until 2024, the two groups were part of the same organization, known as the Central General Staff, but separated after internal disputes. Since then, they began to compete with each other for control of drug trafficking routes, strategic territories and other illegal activities in Guaviare. In a statement, the Colombian Army reported that troops were sent to the region and that security was reinforced to protect the local population. Images released by the press showed bodies lined up on the ground, but authorities did not officially detail how the deaths occurred. Colombia has been experiencing an internal armed conflict for more than 60 years, fueled mainly by drug trafficking and illegal mining. Over this period, more than 450,000 people died and millions were forced to leave their homes. Despite the government’s recent attempts to reduce violence through dialogue, clashes like the one in Guaviare show that the conflict is still far from over.

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