Nestor Gregorio Lozada, alias “Ivan Mordisco,” the leader of the largest faction of FARC dissidents, has issued a rallying call for Colombia’s scattered rebel groups to unite against the United States. In a video message released Saturday, the guerilla commander argued that a united front is necessary to counter potential “US interventionism” in the region.
Okay News reports that the call to arms follows provocative comments from US President Donald Trump. When asked about potential military action in Colombia—similar to the recent operation that led to the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro—Trump remarked that it “sounds good to me.” He further escalated tensions by disparaging Colombian President Gustavo Petro as a “sick man who likes making cocaine.”
Despite the 2016 peace deal that officially disbanded the FARC, splinter groups like Mordisco’s continue to operate in rural areas, often clashing with government forces. While the Colombian military traditionally maintains strong ties with Washington, Trump’s rhetoric and the recent incursion into Venezuela have caused alarm in Bogota.
UN officials warn that armed groups are already exploiting state absences in rural territories, complicating President Petro’s “total peace” agenda just as the threat of external conflict looms.
