The fighting erupted on Sunday in the rural area of El Retorno in the Guaviare region, a jungle area about 300 km southwest of Bogotá known for its strategic importance to cocaine production and trafficking
At least 27 members of a leftist guerrilla group have been killed in clashes with a rival faction in central Colombia, military authorities say, in one of the bloodiest outbreaks of rebel violence in recent months.
The fighting erupted on Sunday in the rural area of El Retorno in the Guaviare region, a jungle area about 300 km southwest of Bogotá known for its strategic importance to cocaine production and trafficking.
Military sources said the clashes were between two dissident factions of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC): one led by Néstor Gregorio Vera, known by his war name Iván Mordisco, and the other by Alexander Díaz Mendoza, alias Calarcá Córdoba.
Both factions were once part of the so‑called Central General Staff but split in April 2024 over internal disputes. According to the officials, all the reported deaths were fighters from Vera’s group.
The Guaviare faction led by Díaz Mendoza is engaged in peace talks with the government of President Gustavo Petro, while Vera’s group has continued armed actions after a bilateral ceasefire was suspended.
Colombia’s long‑running armed conflict has lasted more than six decades, driven largely by drug trafficking and illegal mining, and has claimed hundreds of thousands of lives and displaced millions.
Join us on our WhatsApp Platform @KOIKIMEDIA NEWS YOUR PAGE
koikimedia Bringing the World 🌎 Closer to Your Doorstep