Clash Among Rebel Groups In Colombia Leaves Nearly 30 Dead

A firefight in the Amazon between rival leftist rebel groups in Colombia has left 27 people dead, an army source told AFP Sunday.

Both groups broke away from the once-powerful FARC guerrilla army when it signed a peace accord with the government in 2016 after decades of combat.

READ ALSO: Colombian President Rejects Trump Threats, Says ‘Stop Slandering Me’

Now these dissident splinter groups are fighting each other in the Guaviare region of the Amazon as they seek control of drug trafficking routes, illegal mining, and extortion operations.

The recent fighting pitted rebels under a leader named Ivan Mordisco, Colombia’s most wanted man, and another who goes by the nom de guerre Calarca.

Army sources said the death toll was preliminary.

The army said Saturday on X that the combat was mainly about control of territory.

A video that the army shared with AFP shows more than 20 bodies in combat fatigues lying on a dirt road.

Mordisco held peace talks with the government of leftist President Gustavo Petro but dropped out in 2024 and has since stepped up attacks on civilians and security forces.

The forces led by Calarca have also held intermittent peace talks with the government.

With elections four months away and the opposition accusing him of being soft, Petro has increased pressure on rebel groups.

In November, government forces staged a major attack that left 19 Mordisco followers dead.

Petro has likened the elusive Mordisco to the late legendary cocaine baron Pablo Escobar.

Petro has clashed loudly of late with the United States over Venezuela as tensions grew between the two longstanding allies.

Petro traded harsh words with US President Donald Trump after the latter threatened to follow up on his ouster of Nicolas Maduro in Venezuela with an attack to take out Petro.

But last week, the two leaders spoke and agreed to work together to fight drug trafficking.

Colombia is the world’s largest producer of cocaine.

AFP