52 guerrillas killed in clashes between rival Farc dissident factions in Colombia

Around 52 guerillas were killed in clashes between rival armed groups in southeastern Colombia, according to a statement Thursday from one of the groups involved.

The deadliest fighting in recent months took place in Colombia's Guaviare department, a strategic corridor for cocaine trafficking and illegal logging that has become a key battleground between rival armed groups seeking control of routes linking the Amazon region with the borders of Brazil and Peru.

Colombian Defense Minister Pedro Sanchez said fighting had occurred in the area and that troops had been deployed to protect civilians without providing casualty figures.

The clashes involved rival dissident FARC factions led by Nestor Gregorio Vera, known as Ivan Mordisco, and Alexander Diaz Mendoza, known as Calarca Cordoba, as they battled for control of territory in southeastern Colombia.

According to a statement from Mendoza's group, a column of about 100 fighters came under a surprise attack at their camp by roughly 250 rival fighters on Tuesday, triggering three hours of fighting.

The group said the attackers later retreated, leaving about 50 dead fighters behind, while two members of Mendoza's faction were also killed.

Both factions rejected the 2016 peace agreement that led about 13,000 FARC members to disarm.

However, rivalry between the factions intensified in 2024 after they adopted opposing approaches to President Gustavo Petro's peace initiative. Mendoza's group entered negotiations with the government, while Vera's faction continued armed operations against the state following the suspension of a bilateral ceasefire.

The violence follows another deadly incident in Guaviare two weeks ago, when four Colombian soldiers were killed and three wounded by improvised explosive devices in a remote jungle area, according to the Colombian army.