The two groups are vying for control of the Amazon’s Guaviare region, a strategic area for cocaine production and trafficking.
Published January 19, 2026
At least 27 left-wing rebels have been killed in clashes with rival groups in central Colombia, military officials said, as tensions in the region escalate following U.S. military action in Venezuela and threats against Colombia.
The heaviest clashes in recent months occurred on Sunday in the countryside of the city of El Retorno in the Guaviare region of the Amazon River, 300 kilometers (186 miles) southeast of Bogota, military officials told Reuters.
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The military said on Saturday that the fighting was primarily aimed at seizing territory, as the area is a strategically important area for cocaine production and trafficking.
The clash took place between one faction of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), led by Nestor Gregorio Vera, the country’s most wanted man, known by his war name Ivan Mordisco, and another faction led by Alexander Díaz Mendoza (also known as Calarca Córdoba), a second-ranked military intelligence source.
Both groups were part of the so-called Central Chiefs of Staff, but separated in April 2024 due to internal conflicts. All the casualties were from Vera’s group, said two military officials who spoke on condition of anonymity. The leader of Diaz’s group also confirmed to Reuters the clashes and the deaths of 27 people.
Military officials said the death toll was provisional.
Díaz’s faction is currently negotiating peace with left-wing President Gustavo Petro, but Vela’s group continues to attack civilians and security forces after the government suspended a bilateral ceasefire. These now rival factions had rejected a 2016 peace agreement that allowed some 13,000 FARC members to renounce armed struggle and reintegrate into society after disarmament.
With elections just four months away, Petro is ramping up pressure on rebels as opposition parties accuse him of being lenient.
In November, government forces attacked, killing 19 Mordisco believers.
Petro likens the elusive Mordisco to the late cocaine kingpin Pablo Escobar.
The president has recently clashed with the United States over Venezuela, amid rising tensions between the two longtime allies.
Petro has exchanged harsh words with President Donald Trump after the US president threatened to carry out an attack to topple or kill Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro following his abduction by the United States.
But last week, the two leaders eased tensions by speaking and agreeing to work together to combat drug trafficking.
The National Liberation Army (ELN), Colombia’s left-wing rebel group and the country’s largest active rebel group, is preparing for battle amid threats of intervention from President Trump.
Colombia’s armed conflict has spanned more than 60 years, largely financed by drug trafficking and illegal mining, has left more than 450,000 people dead and millions displaced, and Petro’s peace efforts are currently stalled.
