FARC Dissident Rivalries and the Battle for Colombia’s Guaviare Trafficking Corridors
- The Colombian department of Guaviare has emerged as a primary battleground in an escalating conflict between rival dissident factions of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC.
- Following the 2016 peace agreement, FARC fighters who rejected demobilization fragmented into regional fronts that have since aligned with two distinct organizations.
- The current cycle of violence has killed dozens of people, including minors, across key transportation nodes such as Barranco Colorado, El Retorno, San José del Guaviare, and Calamar.
The Colombian department of Guaviare has emerged as a primary battleground in an escalating conflict between rival dissident factions of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC. According to Colombian authorities and security analysts, the fighting is driven by competition for control of strategic trafficking corridors, criminal economies, and key logistics routes rather than coca cultivation alone.
Rival Factions Split Over Peace Negotiations
Following the 2016 peace agreement, FARC fighters who rejected demobilization fragmented into regional fronts that have since aligned with two distinct organizations. According to security reports, the Estado Mayor Central (EMC), led by Iván Mordisco, abandoned negotiations with the Colombian government and continues armed operations against state forces.
Alexander Díaz Mendoza, also known as Calarcá Córdoba, took the Estado Mayor de Bloques y Frente (EMBF) out of the EMC in 2024. According to verified reporting, Calarcá’s faction continues to pursue peace negotiations with Bogotá while actively competing with its former allies for territorial control in southeastern Colombia.
Escalating Clashes and Casualties Across Guaviare
The current cycle of violence has killed dozens of people, including minors, across key transportation nodes such as Barranco Colorado, El Retorno, San José del Guaviare, and Calamar. According to Colombian authorities, the conflict flared in January 2025 when the EMBF-aligned Jorge Suárez Briceño Bloc attacked an EMC Amazonas Bloc camp, killing 20 people, including six minors.
In May 2026, hostility worsened when troops from the EMC’s Amazonas Bloc raided an encampment of the EMBF-allied Isaías Carvajal Front close to Barranco Colorado. Colombian authorities reported that 48 people were killed in that attack, including 11 minors, marking one of the deadliest single clashes between dissident factions in recent years. This followed a January incident in nearby El Retorno that left 26 dead.
According to the Fundación Paz y Reconciliación (Pares) and Corporación Nuevo Arco Iris, Calarcá’s forces have pushed toward Calamar to secure cattle routes and criminal logistics. Security analysts note that these organizations demonstrate high operational flexibility, shifting experienced fighters across departments. For example, investigative reporting from the La Liga Contra Silencio alliance documented the deployment and subsequent death of Gerson Ramírez—transferred hundreds of kilometers from Cauca—during the fighting in El Retorno.
Military Operations and Diversified Criminal Economies
The Colombian government has responded by ramping up military pressure across Guaviare and neighboring departments. In March 2026, the military activated the 10th Rapid Deployment Force to intensify operations against the EMC. According to the Colombian Military Forces, subsequent operations across Guaviare and Amazonas resulted in the neutralization of more than 120 EMC fighters, though Iván Mordisco remains at large. Earlier, in November 2025, Operation Orión targeted Calamar, neutralizing 25 dissident fighters and seizing rifles, mortars, grenades, and more than 59,000 rounds of ammunition.
Despite these military disruptions, the factions continue to regenerate by tapping into diversified revenue sources. According to Juanita Vélez, cofounder of Fundación Conflict Responses (CORE), the EMBF maintains an informal land registry and charges extortion fees, known as vacunas, per hectare of land bought or sold in its territory.
The cattle industry serves them to launder drug-trafficking money, but also for them to own cattle themselves, launder money, and they also invest in agricultural projects […] in an area called El Yarí, where they have a rice-threshing operation and some soy crops. They’ve built up a whole empire in which they combine illicit economies with legitimate economies.
Juanita Vélez, Fundación Conflict Responses
Strategic Logistics and Humanitarian Impact
Guaviare acts as a critical bridge between the Eastern Plains and the Amazon rainforest, linking Meta, Caquetá, Vaupés, and Guainía. According to Pares, a network of rivers, jungle trails, and overland routes allows armed groups to move cocaine, weapons, and personnel toward Venezuela and Brazil. This regional struggle has severely impacted local populations, with humanitarian organizations and authorities reporting that coercive measures by armed factions have confined thousands of residents to their communities and restricted access to essential services.