The founder and supreme commander of guerrilla group EMC has abandoned peace talks, according to the lead negotiator of Colombia’s government.
In a statement, government negotiator Camilo Gonzalez said that peace talks with the EMC were “frozen” and that the guerrillas’ top commander, “Ivan Mordisco,” was “out.”
According to Gonzalez, Mordisco lost control over half of the estimated 3,500 guerrillas of the EMC.
These dissident guerrillas have sided with their former peace negotiator, Andrey Avendaño, and are willing to pursue peace with the government, according to the government representative.
Mordisco had replaced Avendaño as his lead negotiator earlier this year.
Over the weekend, the commanders of the EMC’s four regional divisions published videos in which their commanders said that “it has not been possible to continue the dialogue” and swore loyalty to Mordisco.
The EMC founder published a video in which he urged the government to resume a ceasefire that was suspended in southwest Colombia in March in response to a guerrilla attack on an indigenous community.
Colombia’s largest FARC dissident group urges ceasefire with government and ELN rebels
Presumed members of the EMC’s Western Bloc carried out multiple attacks against a military compound and two police stations in southwest Colombia over the weekend.
The remaining EMC divisions appear to have refrained from immediately attacking security forces.
The talks with the EMC were part of Petro’s “Total Peace” policy, which sought to end armed conflict in Colombia through negotiations with multiple armed groups.
Violence between these armed groups and towards civilians have complicated these talks and led to the breaking down of negotiations on several occasions.
