Finding out who is who in the clashes of FARC dissidents in Venezuela

After Semana reports the death of Seuxis Pausias Hernández Solarte, better known as Jesús Santrich, after a possible clash between FARC dissidents in Venezuelan territory, the question arises as to who exactly is responsible for the death of the guerrillas. .

One of the hypotheses being considered is that the leader of the so-called Nueva Marquetalia fell victim to the armed conflict amid a dispute over the coca trade.

The possibility that he was a victim of the Venezuelan Guard is also being considered, but the theory that is gaining strength at the moment has to do with the fact that those responsible for his death are said to be the aliases “ Farley ” and the pseudonyms “ Arturo. Nestor. key files Gregorio Vera, alias “ Iván Mordisco ”, who was the first guerrilla commander to reject the final peace agreement signed with the Colombian state in 2016.

According to the Insight Crime portal, the power of this last man lies in the fact that he currently commands the splinter group of Front Farc 1 and that he is present in Guaviare, Vaupés and Vichada with around 400 members.

According to the authorities, Iván Mordisco is one of the guerrillas most present in the area where the events occurred.

Indeed, on March 28, 2021, El Tiempo announced that Iván Márquez, leader of the Second Marquetalia and ‘Iván Mordisco’, leader of the first front, would have met in the rural area of ​​Elorza, in the state of Apure. of Venezuela, to try to define an agreement that would unite the two illegal organizations, but this meeting ended up being a failure due to the economic and military power of “Mordisco” due to drug trafficking.

Another of the dissidents who are said to have had problems or disagreements with the Second Marquetalia is the FARC front called “ Gentil Duarte ”, which released a video in mid-April in which they make strong accusations linked to an alliance. between Iván Márquez, Jesús Santrich, Hernán Darío Velásquez “alias El Paisa” and their men with Nicolás Maduro. At that time, several heavily armed men and women in uniform in the middle of the jungle spoke of a betrayal of the “Second Marquetalia”.

On the other hand, audios known to Semana show that in the area where Santrich was killed, there is also a presence of weapons under the command of Omar Pardo Galeano, alias “ Antonio Medina ”, chief of the 28th FARC dissident front. .

In the recordings known to the magazine, Antonio Medina would order his men to attack Venezuelan military bases as a sign of solidarity with the tenth front of the Farc, which in recent days has had clashes with the Bolivarian guard. .

The 28th and 10th Front are both part of the support structures of “ Gentil Duarte ”, formerly known as Miguel Botache Santillana, of the Eastern bloc who controlled the revenues from drug trafficking, which has profound differences with the dissent of the second Marquetalia. Santrich was reportedly killed during clashes with this group. The presence of guerrilla groups in this territory and the indications to the Maduro government to offer them protection have been the constant of the Colombian authorities.

Santrich would be the first commander of the so-called Second Marquetalia to fall into this gang war.

KEEP READING: