Expert Comment
What does Colombia's latest lethal incident mean for the presidential elections?
ACLED’s Latin America and Caribbean Senior Analyst Tiziano Breda comments on the clashes between two rival groups in Colombia that claimed the lives of at least 52 guerrilla fighters.
Just days before Colombia's high-stakes presidential election, intense warfare has erupted in a critical drug-trafficking corridor. Two rival factions of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) dissidents clashed on Thursday in San José del Guaviare, leaving at least 52 guerrilla fighters dead.
Tiziano Breda, Senior Analyst for Latin America and the Caribbean at ACLED, said:
“This event —the most lethal single clash between armed groups in Colombia since ACLED began covering the country in 2018— coupled with the series of attacks launched by the EMC in Cauca and Valle del Cauca a few weeks ago, illustrates how challenging it is proving for the Petro administration to maintain public order ahead of the elections, and may sway voters away from the incumbent’s candidate, Iván Cepeda.
“The clash took place between two separate factions of the FARC: one led by faction led by Néstor Gregorio Vera Fernández , called the FARC General Central Staff or Estado Mayor Central (EMC), and the one led by Alexander Díaz Mendoza, known as Estado Mayor de Bloques y Frente (EMBF).
While Petro’s ‘Total Peace’ strategy has centered on hosting peace talks with various militant groups, including the EMC, it has also contributed to armed groups’ fragmentation, opening war fronts in previously less conflictive areas. In fact, disagreements over the management of the talks led to the schism within the EMC and the creation of the EMBF in early 2024. Since then, the two groups have clashed several times.”
For an interview with Tiziano Breda, contact the ACLED press office at [email protected].
