- Clashes broke out between two factions of disbanded FARC.
- Fighting took place in hamlet of Vereda Piripal: Mayor Rodriguez
- Various guerrilla factions vying for control of jungle territory.
Clashes between two dissident factions of the disbanded FARC guerrilla movement left 48 people dead in the Colombian Amazon, a local mayor told AFPon Thursday, days ahead of the May 31 presidential election.
“The bodies are lying there in a heap, they need to be evacuated,” Willy Rodriguez, the mayor of the regional capital San Jose del Guaviare, situated six hours from the scene of the fighting, told AFPin a phone call.
Colombia has been rocked by the worst wave of violence since FARC laid down arms in 2016 after half a century of war with the government.
Various smaller guerrilla factions are vying for control of jungle territory once controlled by the rebel army, as well as revenues from drug trafficking and illegal mining.
The mayor said the fighting took place in the hamlet of Vereda Piripal and that the community itself provided the provisional death toll.
An army source told AFPthat the fighting in an historic FARC stronghold began on Monday.
There is no information on whether it is currently ongoing, with rescue teams yet to reach the site.
The bloodshed marks a new blow for the failed “total peace” strategy of outgoing left-wing President Gustavo 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 Pedro Sanchez said that 408,000 security force members backed by “aircraft, ships, drones, anti-drone systems and armoured vehicles” had been deployed to ensure voting takes place peacefully.
If no candidate wins more than 50% of the vote, a runoff between the two top contenders will be held on June 21.
2026-05-28 23:38:00
