Colombia government officials traveled to Venezuela’s capital Caracas for the formal start of peace talks with the “Segunda Marquetalia” guerrilla group.
Peace Commissioner Otty Patiño and government negotiators arrived in Caracas on Sunday to meet with representatives of one of the former commanders of the now-defunct guerrilla group FARC, “Ivan Marquez.”
The commander of the FARC’s former Caribbean Bloc represents the second largest FARC dissident group that emerged in opposition to a peace process that began in 2016.
The security forces believe that Segunda Marquetalia currently has some 1,200 armed members.
Among these fighters are members of the Border Commandos from the southern Putumayo province and the United Pacific Guerrillas from Nariño in the southwest.
These two groups control major drug trafficking hubs that effectively finance the Segunda Marquetalia, whose main division operates mainly in the eastern jungles of Colombia and in southern Venezuela.
The talks with the EMC will be held parallel to talks with guerrilla group ELN and a faction of FARC dissident organization EMC.
Segunda Marquetalia has yet to agree to a ceasefire with the government and the rival illegal armed groups.
In an attempt to prevent that attacks complicate the peace talks, the guerrillas and the government agreed to prioritize negotiating measures that would allow a de-escalation of violence.
Colombia announces peace talks with rearmed former FARC chief
Persistent fighting between illegal armed groups has been one of the main obstacles in the ongoing talks with the ELN and the EMC faction that is in favor of the current talks.
Formal peace talks with paramilitary organization EGC/AGC and Los Pachencas never materialized because of the groups’ attacks on civilians in northern Colombia.
Successful negotiations with Segunda Marquetalia could prevent an almost absolute failure of President Gustavo Petro’s “Total Peace” policy, which sought the negotiated end of all major illegal armed groups in Colombia.
