Original article: “He ordenado el bombardeo”: Petro activa ofensiva para desarticular frente narcoterrorista de «Iván Mordisco»
Colombian President Gustavo Petro has initiated a military offensive in the Guaviare department to dismantle the narcoterrorist front led by alias “Iván Mordisco,” the leader of the self-proclaimed Central General Staff (EMC), the main dissidence of the FARC that broke away from the 2016 peace agreement.
The development of the operation was confirmed by the Colombian leader himself, who announced via social media that he had ordered “the bombing and military dissolution of the front located by the armed forces.”
Defense Minister Pedro Sánchez clarified that since early yesterday morning, the Military Forces and the National Police have been executing this offensive operation in the jungles of Guaviare, aiming to dismantle “narcoterrorist structures of the cartel led by Mordisco,” which are responsible for extorting and threatening local farming communities.
“Since dawn, our Military Forces and the National Police have been carrying out this operation in the jungles of Guaviare (…). This operation is ongoing,” detailed Sánchez Suárez.
According to Radio Nacional de Colombia, citing defense sector sources, air and ground actions are concentrated in rural areas of Calamar and Miraflores municipalities—they have been the epicenter of recent attacks involving drones and explosives.
In recent days, residents of Calamar have been victims of several attacks attributed to criminal structures under Mordisco’s command.
Civil authorities confirmed the use of drones loaded with explosives against the home of the municipality’s mayor and a military base of the 24th Jungle Infantry Battalion. These incidents resulted in one soldier being injured and raised a security alert across the region.
Guaviare: A Critical Zone in the Armed Conflict
The jungle department has become a critical focal point in the armed conflict in southeastern Colombia, where three blocks of the Central General Staff (EMC) dissidents converge: the Jorge Suárez Briceño Block, the Western Block, and the Amazonas Block “Manuel Marulanda Vélez,” under the command of alias “Iván Mordisco,” whose real name is Néstor Gregorio Vera. He is being pursued by authorities for charges including terrorism, homicides against protected persons and social leaders, forced recruitment, and drug trafficking.
Alias Iván Mordisco is considered the country’s most wanted criminal, with a reward of 5 billion Colombian pesos, equivalent to about 1.3 million dollars, offered for information leading to his capture.
Additionally, the Amazonas Block operates the “Armando Ríos” front, led by alias Corea or Kin Yun, with around 240 fighters, and the mobile company “Isaías Carvajal,” directed by alias Giovanny, present in Guaviare, Vaupés, and Amazonas.
According to Radio Nacional de Colombia, both armed groups control strategic river routes used for trafficking drugs, weapons, and chemical precursors, as well as for transporting supplies to laboratories located deep in the jungle.
“The territory of Guaviare functions as a strategic corridor between Caquetá, Meta, Vaupés, and the Amazon, a region where river routes—such as the Caguán, Apaporis, and Caquetá rivers—have been utilized for cocaine and arms trafficking. This complex network has turned the department into one of the main enclaves for dissidents, who vie for territorial control with other armed groups such as Calarcá Córdoba’s block,” said the cited media.
This is why recent operations conducted by Colombia’s Military Forces aim to halt this territorial expansion. According to reports from the Ministry of Defense, throughout 2025, operations have managed to neutralize more than 70 members of the dissidents, including mid-level commanders in the departments of Cauca, Arauca, and Guaviare.
The military offensive ordered by President Gustavo Petro is not a one-time operation but part of a long-term strategy aimed at regaining territorial control and ensuring the safety of rural communities affected by violence and drug trafficking.
Alongside this, the progressive leader maintains his government’s call for total peace as a political and humanitarian objective.
