Colombian Military Reports 27 Killed in Guerrilla Clashes

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Bogota: At least 27 members of a leftist guerrilla group were killed in violent clashes between rival factions in southwestern Colombia, as armed groups fought for control of a strategic jungle region linked to cocaine production and trafficking, military sources said on Sunday.

The fighting took place in a rural area of El Retorno municipality in the Guaviare department, about 300 kilometres southeast of the capital, Bogotá. The clashes are among the deadliest seen in the region in recent months, according to military officials.

The violence involved two splinter factions of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC): one led by Néstor Gregorio Vera, known as Iván Mordisco, and another commanded by Alexander Díaz Mendoza, alias Calarcá Córdoba. Both groups were previously part of the Central General Staff but split in April 2024 following internal disputes.

Military sources said all 27 fatalities were members of Vera’s faction. A leader from Díaz’s group also confirmed the clashes and the death toll.

Díaz’s faction is currently engaged in peace talks with President Gustavo Petro’s government, while Vera’s group continues armed hostilities after authorities suspended a bilateral ceasefire. Both factions had rejected the 2016 peace accord that led to the demobilisation of around 13,000 FARC fighters.

Colombia’s decades-long armed conflict, fuelled largely by drug trafficking and illegal mining, has claimed more than 450,000 lives and displaced millions. President Petro’s efforts to revive peace negotiations with armed groups have faced significant setbacks in recent months.