Fighting between rival armed groups killed at least 52 guerrilla fighters in the Colombian Amazon, one of the groups said Thursday. The clashes come just days ahead of crucial presidential elections that centre in part around rival strategies towards dealing with the country's decades-old insurgencies.
At least 52 guerrilla fighters were killed in clashes between two rival armed groups vying for control of a strategic cocaine production and trafficking region in Colombia, a faction of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) involved in the fighting said in a statement on Thursday.
The clashes, the most violent in recent months, took place ahead of Sunday's presidential election, when Colombians will elect a successor to leftist President Gustavo Petro, who has struggled to implement peace talks with the country's numerous armed groups.
Defence Minister Pedro Sanchez confirmed on social media that there had been fighting in the area, as did the Army, but neither provided details on the death toll. Sanchez said troops had been deployed to the area to protect the civilian population.
The 52 deaths reported by the guerrilla group could not be independently verified.
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The fighting took place between a dissident faction of the FARC led by Nestor Gregorio Vera, better known as Ivan Mordisco, and another led by Alexander Diaz Mendoza, known as Calarca Cordoba.
Both rejected a 2016 peace agreement that allowed some 13,000 members of the FARC to lay down their weapons.
The guerrilla group led by Diaz Mendoza is involved in peace talks with Petro, but Vera’s remains in conflict with authorities after the government suspended a bilateral ceasefire with the faction in 2024.
The fighting took place in the jungles of the department of Guaviare in southeast Colombia, near the village of Barranco Colorado.
Last week, the FARC's largest dissident group, the Central General Staff, announced a nationwide suspension of its military operations against the country's public forces between May 20 and June 10.
The group, however, did not announce a complete suspension of all military activity, meaning confrontations with other armed groups would not be included in its pause of operations.
Rebels from the National Liberation Army (ELN) also announced a separate ceasefire ahead of the weekend's election.
The armed conflict, which has lasted more than six decades and is financed primarily by drug trafficking and illegal mining, has left more than 450,000 dead and millions displaced.
The bloodshed marks a new blow for the beleaguered "total peace" strategy of outgoing left-wing President Petro – a hot-button issue in the presidential campaign.
The left-wing senator leading the race to succeed Petro, Ivan Cepeda, has vowed to continue pursuing dialogue with armed groups.
His right-wing rivals, led by tough-talking lawyer Abelardo de la Espriella, a fan of US President Donald Trump, argue that the rebels need to be crushed militarily.
The security situation looms large over the election, which has been marred by murders, kidnappings and bomb attacks.
Defence Minister Sanchez said that 408,000 security force members backed by "aircraft, ships, drones, anti-drone systems and armored vehicles" had been deployed to ensure voting takes place peacefully.
If no candidate wins more than 50 percent of the vote, a runoff between the two top contenders will be held on June 21.
(FRANCE 24 with Reuters)
