BackConflict
Clashes in Colombia between FARC dissident guerrilla factions leave 27 dead
At least 27 members of a FARC dissident faction led by Iván Mordisco were killed in clashes with a rival faction led by Calarcá Córdoba over territorial control in Guaviare department. The groups split from the Central General Staff in April 2024 amid internal disputes in a key cocaine production area.[1][2][3]
Why It Matters
The violence highlights ongoing fragmentation among FARC dissidents rejecting the 2016 peace deal, complicating President Petro's 'total peace' efforts amid competition for drug trafficking routes in Colombia's six-decade armed conflict that has killed over 450,000.[2][3][4]
Timeline
3 Events
Military reports casualties
January 18, 2026
Colombian military authorities and a leader from Mendoza's group confirmed the clashes and 27 deaths to Reuters, noting it as one of the deadliest internal confrontations in recent months.[1][2][4]
Clashes erupt in Guaviare
January 18, 2026
Fierce fighting broke out in rural El Retorno, Guaviare, between Mordisco's and Córdoba's factions over control of strategic cocaine production and trafficking territory; all 27 fatalities from Mordisco's group.[1][2][3][4]
FARC dissident factions split
April 2024
Factions led by Néstor Gregorio Vera (Iván Mordisco) and Alexander Díaz Mendoza (Calarcá Córdoba) separated from the Central General Staff due to leadership and territorial disputes.[1][2][3][4]