The historical guerrilla fighter Luciano Marin, known by the alias Ivan Marquez, recently appeared in a video, thus confirming, after nearly two years of conflicting rumors, that he is still alive. Marquez was the head of the peace delegation of the now-defunct FARC in Havana, but following the historic 2016 agreement, he was one of the signatories who returned to armed conflict. In 2019, along with some former comrades, he appeared in another video announcing their return to arms, forming a new armed group called the Second Marquetalia.
The vast majority of those guerrilla fighters perished in operations which were never fully explained and which took place on the other side of the border with Venezuela. In July 2022, Ivan Marquez’s camp suffered a brutal attack, and at that time, Defense Minister Diego Molano announced the death of the historical insurgent leader. However, three months later, the subversive organization refuted the government’s statement, asserting that their leader was alive, albeit “convalescing from his wounds”.
In August 2023, an audio recording purportedly featuring Marquez’s voice surfaced, seemingly confirming the guerrilla group’s claim. In that audio, Marquez assessed the first year of President Petro’s term. However, his whereabouts remained a mystery until former Colombian High Commissioner for Peace, Danilo Rueda, reported last October that “Marquez is in Colombia and in good health”.
The reappearance of the historical Ivan Marquez
After almost two years of rumors, the video from this weekend provide the first proof that Marquez is still alive. In previous reports, it had been claimed that the guerrilla fighter had lost an eye, several fingers from one hand, and even mobility in part of his body.
All of that information was dispelled in the video released last Saturday, May 11. The video transmission took place at the sports complex in Puerto Carreno, the capital of the Vichada department, during the Binational Peace Forum, an event organized by the Departmental Assembly. After speeches by Jaime Rodriguez, mayor of the municipality, and Luis Alfredo Gutierrez, governor of the neighboring department of Vaupes, the recording was projected onto a screen.
The recording showed a noticeably thinner and aged Marquez, confirming not only that he is still alive but also that he supports the idea of Colombian President Gustavo Petro calling for a National Constituent Assembly. The video interspersed images of the guerrilla fighter reading a text with various figures, such as Simon Bolivar, the nineteenth-century independence leader, and Manuel Marulanda, alias Tirofijo, founder and historical leader of the now-defunct FARC, who died of natural causes in the mountains in 2008.
Deliberate omission by Rodrigo Londoño
It is notable that Rodrigo Londoño, alias Timochenko, the last leader of the FARC and the top commander of that organization when peace was signed and the group was dissolved almost eight years ago, deliberately does not appear in the recording. For those who formed the Second Marquetalia, so-called Timochenko betrayed the principles of the insurgency after some 14,000 guerrilla fighters laid down their arms.
The FARC disbanded and became a legal political force which, today, has little electoral support and is doomed to disappear by 2026, when the privileges of the peace agreement come to an end. In 2016, the state agreed to grant up to 10 representatives in the Colombian Congress for two legislatures (2018-2022 and 2022-2026) directly.
Márquez should have held one of those seats but did not. He returned to the armed struggle, claiming that the Colombian State was not complying with the peace agreements and many ex-insurgents were beginning to be killed.
Ivan Marquez and President Petro’s support for the Constituent Assembly
The main message of the video is to support the presidential idea of calling for a National Constituent Assembly, Gustavo Petro’s controversial proposal, in view of the obstacles his reformist legislative projects are encountering in Congress.
“We defend the right of the common people to health, employment and housing. No more privatization of public services, turned today into a vile business of national and foreign companies. We will rescue the majesty of the primary constituent, which is the people. They are the legitimate authority. His will must be obeyed by all the institutions of the State. It must never be forgotten that the sovereign is the people, and the rights of the people prevail over the greed for wealth of the oligarchies and transnational corporations,” says Marquez in a 16-minute video initially published by the Spanish newspaper El Pais.
Peace negotiations with Ivan Marquez’s group
Back in February, Colombian President Gustavo Petro announced the start of peace talks with the armed group led by Marquez, which was formed five years ago under the name Segunda Marquetalia. This name alludes to the the municipality of Marquetalia in Tolima, where the FARC was formed in 1964.
The government’s announcement also stated that the Second Marquetalia was committed to not kidnapping civilians, although no dates or further details about the start of talks with the dissidence led by Marquez were ever mentioned.
This is the third dialogue table opened by the government, after those established with the National Liberation Army (ELN) and the Central General Staff (EMC), which are going through an important crisis in their procedure.