Colombia’s most powerful FARC dissident group confirmed that one of its founders, “Gentil Duarte,” has been killed.
In a statement, the central command of the “Southeastern Bloc” confirmed that Duarte had been killed in an explosives attack on May 4.
According to Colombian media, the 58-year-old guerrilla chief was killed in Venezuela, but this was not confirmed by the FARC dissidents.
The guerrillas claimed that Duarte was killed in an attack that had been orchestrated by the government of President Ivan Duque and the United States embassy in Colombia’s capital Bogota.
“Colombia’s most wanted FARC dissident killed in Venezuela”
Duarte’s many enemies
“Ivan Marquez” (Image: Twitter)
The founder of the powerful FARC dissident organization was one of the two governments’ most wanted guerrilla leaders in Colombia.
But Duarte had more enemies, namely “Ivan Marquez,” the FARC’s former political leader who rearmed in 2019.
The “Segunda Marquetalia” group has been trying to undermine the authority of the Southeastern Bloc by providing support to the “Border Commandos” on the border with Ecuador and Peru.
The rise of the “Border Commandos” in southern Colombia
The faces of FARC dissent
Gentil Duarte (L) and Ivan Mordisco
The killed rebel leader rose to prominence in 2016 when he refused to accept a peace deal between the FARC and the government of former President Juan Manuel Santos.
Together with another former FARC commander, “Ivan Mordisco,” Duarte formed what would later become known as the Southeastern Bloc.
This group was able to take control over abandoned FARC territory in southwestern Colombia.
Duarte became even more powerful after he successfully mediated an alliance with FARC dissidents from southwest Colombia who had formed the “Western Coordinating Command.”
The two groups quickly became the most powerful guerrilla syndicate in the south of the country.
How Duque condemned Colombia to a new cycle of violence
Duarte’s death unlikely to change much
The death of Duarte is a major symbolic blow for the FARC dissidents, but will likely not affect their military strength.
Multiple of the FARC dissident leaders have been killed over the past years, and quickly replaced by one of their former subordinates.
Multiple think tanks have claimed that the guerrilla groups led by Duarte and Mordisxo have doubled in size while Duque was in office.