27 Killed as Rival FARC Dissidents Battle for Coca Territory in Colombia’s Guaviare

Overview

• Military officials said all 27 fatalities belonged to the faction led by Néstor Gregorio Vera, and a leader aligned with Alexander Díaz Mendoza separately confirmed the clashes and the toll.
• The fighting broke out in rural El Retorno, Guaviare, a jungle corridor crucial to cocaine production and transit about 300 kilometers from Bogotá.
• Both groups are FARC dissidents that split from the Central General Staff in April 2024 after internal rifts over leadership and territorial control.
• Mendoza’s faction is engaged in talks with President Gustavo Petro’s government, while Vera’s fighters have continued hostilities despite a ceasefire agreement.
• The confrontation ranks among the deadliest in recent months and highlights how control of drug routes continues to drive violence that undermines efforts toward “total peace.”