Rival FARC factions fight over jungle control amid stalled peace talks
At least 27 members of a leftist guerrilla group were killed in fierce clashes with a rival faction in central Colombia, authorities confirmed Sunday. The violent confrontation occurred in the rural area of El Retorno, Guaviare, roughly 300 km southeast of Bogotá, a strategic zone for cocaine production and trafficking.
The fighting involved two factions of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). One is led by Nestor Gregorio Vera, also known as Ivan Mordisco, and the other by Alexander Diaz Mendoza, alias Calarca Cordoba. Both were formerly part of the Central General Staff but split in April 2024 due to internal disputes. All casualties were reported from Vera’s faction, confirmed by multiple military sources.
Diaz’s faction is currently engaged in peace talks with President Gustavo Petro, while Vera’s group continues hostilities following the suspension of a bilateral ceasefire. These factions had rejected the 2016 FARC peace agreement, under which roughly 13,000 members disarmed and reintegrated into society.
Colombia’s decades-long armed conflict, fueled by drug trafficking and illegal mining, has claimed over 450,000 lives and displaced millions. Analysts warn that stalled peace efforts and ongoing internal factional disputes could lead to further violence in Guaviare and other conflict zones.
