The recent call to unify illegal armed groups in Colombia, publicly launched by guerrilla leader Iván Mordisco, has sparked an intense political and security debate in the country. Through a video circulated on digital platforms this week, Néstor Gregorio Vera Fernández, known by that alias and at the helm of one of the main dissident factions of the former FARC, raised the need for the country’s various insurgent groups to coordinate in the face of what he considers a regional threat.
His proposal comes in a context of international tension exacerbated by recent U.S. military operations in Venezuela, which included the capture of President Nicolás Maduro, an event that has altered geopolitical balances in Latin America and has had a direct impact on the discourse of illegal armed movements.
Mordisco’s message, far from being generic, puts on the table the idea of convening a summit of commanders to forge an insurgent unity capable of resisting “the foreign aggressor” and defending what he calls the sovereignty of Latin American peoples. His call includes not only the National Liberation Army (ELN), the oldest active guerrilla group in Colombia and in Latin America, but also other armed structures that broke away from the 2016 peace process, such as the Second Marquetalia and other ex-FARC fronts.
The declared objective in his address is to overcome old rivalries and internal tensions in order to articulate a joint response to what they perceive as imperialist intervention in the region. The purpose recalls the so-called “Simón Bolívar Guerrilla Coordinating Committee,” a platform that brought together different illegal armed groups in the late 1980s. Of the groups that made up that unified organization, today only the ELN survives.
Efforts to unify guerrilla groups in Colombia
Iván Mordisco’s proposal received an immediate echo in some insurgent ranks. The ELN commander, known as Antonio García, confirmed in statements to the AFP news agency that his organization would be willing to consider a kind of alliance with other armed groups. In his response to the outlet, García specified that ELN support would be conditional on the initiative having the purpose of “defending the Homeland against the foreign aggressor.”
Under that approach, he added that “we will meet in the struggle,” a statement that was quoted verbatim by the international agency. The public backing of one of the ELN’s leaders represents an unusual gesture of rapprochement between factions that have historically operated independently and even in conflict with one another over territorial control and ideological influence.
However, this support is also tempered with caution. Security analysts point out that operational and strategic contradictions among the different insurgent groups make a homogeneous unity difficult.
Despite rhetorical sympathy for the idea of confronting what they call external forces, local rivalries over drug trafficking routes and territorial control have generated violent clashes and distrust among them, which could limit the viability of a far-reaching unified front.
In a message this week, alias Iván Mordisco called for setting aside “old differences inherited from the past and joining forces to defend Latin American sovereignty,” with constant references to U.S. attempts to interfere in the politics of different countries in the region, referring to the capture of Nicolás Maduro last Saturday, January 3, in Venezuela.
Reactions from the Colombian State
Mordisco’s initiative was not well received by the Colombian government. President Gustavo Petro responded forcefully through his social media accounts, describing the proposal as an “excuse” to justify what he says are criminal actions devoted to drug trafficking rather than the legitimate defense of peoples.
Petro has insisted that these illegal armed groups have become a pretext to justify foreign interventions and that, instead, the true defense of the region lies in strengthening cooperation among Latin American states and security forces to combat the scourge of drug trafficking and the associated violence.
“The alliance proposed by Mr. Iván Mordisco does not defend Venezuela, nor Colombia nor Latin America; on the contrary, they are the excuse for invasion, and even dark money is flowing to sabotage elections and prevent electoral freedom. Devoted to drug trafficking, they became the perfect excuse for aggression,” Petro wrote on his X.com personal account.
The Colombian president also took the opportunity to send a direct message to these armed groups. “At this moment and despite the turbulence created by the invasion, Latin American armies must come together to remove from our countries this excuse that does no one any good. The narco must be disarmed and reduced. Latin America must defend itself from any actor that destabilizes it, and that implies the unity of its peoples, of their arms and of their states,” he added.
Beyond words, the government has intensified its security policy against the dissident groups. A strong military offensive remains in place, with specific operations aimed at dismantling the structures under Mordisco’s command, as well as substantial rewards for information leading to his capture.
Finally, Petro concluded that “armed drug traffickers must be defeated by peoples united with their states.”
La alianza que propone el señor Iván Mordisco, no defiende a Venezuela, ni a Colombia ni a América Latina, al contrario, son la excusa de la invasión , y hasta dineros oscuros corren para sabotear las elecciones e impedir la libertad electoral.
Dedicados al narcotráfico, se… https://t.co/IMP6kBLqVO
— Gustavo Petro (@petrogustavo) January 9, 2026
Impact on security dynamics
The call for insurgent unity raises questions about how the armed conflict in Colombia could evolve. While Iván Mordisco’s proposal appears aimed at regrouping forces in response to external factors, it also carries deep internal implications.
The fragmentation of armed groups has been a constant since the signing of the 2016 Peace Agreement, with factions emerging, evolving, and at times clashing with one another over control of territories and illicit economies. An attempt at cohesion would not only require overcoming old tensions, but also aligning interests that, in many cases, are deeply rooted in criminal activities such as drug trafficking and illegal mining.
On the other hand, the ELN’s partial backing of the idea of coordination poses an additional challenge for peace and security policies in Colombia. The ELN, with decades of presence in the Colombian armed conflict and a structure larger than most dissident groups, represents a key actor.
Its potential participation in a broader front could alter power dynamics in areas where the state already faces difficulties in exercising full authority, further complicating the efforts toward peace and stability that the country has sought to consolidate in recent years.
Iván Mordisco’s proposal to unify different Colombian guerrilla groups comes at a critical moment for both Colombia’s domestic politics and the broader Latin American regional situation. The debate it has sparked among insurgent leaders, the reactions within the government, and broader security concerns reflect that the roadmap toward peace and stability remains highly complex.
While some see insurgent unity as a means of resistance against external influences, others warn that it could lead to an intensification of the conflict and become an obstacle to the state’s efforts to restore order and protect communities affected by decades of violence.