International
The FARC dissident ‘Iván Márquez’ reappears in a video after being presumed dead
The FARC dissident ‘Iván Márquez’, leader of the Second Marquetalia and who was the chief peace negotiator of the former guerrilla, reappeared in a video after being presumed dead in an attack in Venezuela in July 2022.
In the video ‘Márquez’, reappeared for the first time in an audio and whose survival was confirmed by several authorities, he spoke about different issues of conjuncture such as the proposal of the Constituent Assembly of President Gustavo Petro.
Precisely what shows that the video is recent are the statements he made regarding Petro’s initiative, presented last March during a government act in Cali, the main city in southwestern Colombia, given the difficulty he has in getting Congress to approve its reforms, where his support has diminished.
“On March 15, President Petro (…) spoke of opening a constituent process in Colombia. Let’s go for the all or nothing, no more decades and centuries of deception and oppression,” added ‘Márquez’.
The video published during the ´ Vichada Binational Forum: Territory of Peace, Life and Biodiversity´, held in the municipality of Puerto Carreño, capital of the department of Vichada (border with Venezuela).
During the event, in which national, regional and local authorities participated, as well as representatives of the public forces, the attendees saw the 17 minutes of the intervention of the head of the Second Marquetalia.
In August 2019, almost three years after signing the peace ‘Iván Márquez’, who was also number two of the FARC, announced that he was taking up arms at the head of a dissidence called Second Marquetalia, in reference to the birthplace of the FARC more than half a century ago, for alleged non-compliance by the Government.
In 2022, his alleged death was reported in an attack perpetrated by another armed group with which the Second Marquetalia was disputing the Colombian-Venezuelan border, where the groups are hidden, and the illicit businesses that circulate there.
However, that dissidence attributed the attack to the Colombian security forces and denied the death, and in September 2022 the Colombian Government confirmed that ‘Márquez’ was alive, but “sick, convalescent.”
Then the ‘Márquez’ himself reappeared in an audio on August 2, 2023 in a speech ahead of the first year of the president’s government, in which he claimed that he was alive.
In October 2023, the then High Commissioner of Peace, Danilo Rueda, confirmed that ‘Márquez’ “is in Colombia” and his state of health is good.
Luciano Marín Arango, 68 years old, was born on June 16, 1955 in Florence, capital of the southern department of Caquetá, and his history indicates that in the early 1980s he was linked to the 14 Front of the FARC, where he climbed positions until he became part of the guerrilla leadership.
At the beginning of February, the Colombian Government and the Second Marquetalia announced the start of a peace process, which will be the third to be undertaken by the current Executive, after those installed with the National Liberation Army (ELN) and the Central General Staff (EMC), the main group of dissidents of the FARC.
The statement, signed on February 1, also points out that the Second Marquetalia undertakes not to kidnap civilians, although there is still no date or more details about the start of the dialogues with the dissent led by ‘Márquez’.
International
OAS Election Mission to Monitor Claims of Political Interference by Colombia’s President
The Electoral Observation Mission of the Organization of American States (OAS) has pledged to follow up on allegations regarding the alleged involvement of Colombian President Gustavo Petro in political campaigning ahead of Sunday’s presidential election.
The announcement was made by presidential candidate Claudia López after a meeting with the head of the OAS Electoral Observation Mission, former Dominican Republic President Leonel Fernández.
According to a statement released by López’s campaign, the OAS mission listened to the concerns raised by the candidate and committed to monitoring the complaints she has submitted to both national and international organizations.
The mission also reiterated its commitment to overseeing the electoral process to help ensure that the will of Colombian voters is respected throughout the election.
“We have turned to international forums and technical observation missions to warn that Colombian democracy cannot be left at the mercy of fear or undue pressure,” López, the former mayor of Bogotá, said following the meeting.
López has repeatedly expressed concerns about what she describes as political interference in the electoral process and has called on national and international institutions to closely monitor the conduct of the campaign.
The OAS observation mission is one of several international bodies deployed to Colombia to monitor the presidential election, which is taking place amid heightened political tensions and intense competition among candidates from across the ideological spectrum.
The election is expected to be closely watched both domestically and internationally as Colombians choose whether to continue with the country’s first left-wing administration or shift toward a new political direction.
International
Colombia Votes in Pivotal Election as Left Seeks to Retain Power
Colombians headed to the polls on Sunday in a crucial presidential election that will determine whether the country continues under its first left-wing government in modern history or shifts back toward the political right.
The election campaign has been marked by deep political divisions, with armed violence and economic concerns emerging as the dominant issues for voters.
A total of 11 candidates remain in the race following the withdrawal of three presidential tickets. The central question is which candidate will advance to a likely runoff election alongside ruling-party senator Iván Cepeda, who has led opinion polls for months with his platform of “democratic revolution” but is not expected to secure enough votes to win outright in the first round.
On the right, Senator Paloma Valencia of the Democratic Center party, the political movement founded by former President Álvaro Uribe, has lost momentum as support has grown for far-right attorney Abelardo de la Espriella. Known as “The Tiger,” De la Espriella has campaigned on a tough-on-crime agenda targeting criminal organizations and guerrilla groups, drawing comparisons to the security policies of Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele.
Political analyst Sandra Borda, a professor at the University of the Andes, argues that Colombia is experiencing not simply greater polarization but a broader political landscape.
“The 2016 peace agreement with the FARC opened significant space for the left. Inevitably, it also created opportunities for the right,” Borda told CNN. The political scientist, who ran for the Senate in 2022 with the New Liberalism movement, believes the current election presents a more challenging environment for the left than four years ago.
According to Borda, left-wing candidates can no longer campaign solely as agents of change who have never had the opportunity to govern or who remained untouched by traditional politics.
“They can no longer make that argument. They have already governed and are no longer immune from criticism associated with political power,” she said.
The election is being closely watched across Latin America as voters weigh the record of the outgoing administration against promises of change from candidates across the political spectrum.
International
ICE agent arrested in Texas over shooting of Venezuelan migrant in Minnesota
U.S. authorities arrested an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent on Friday in Texas after he was accused of shooting a Venezuelan migrant in Minnesota earlier this year and later providing false information about the incident.
The suspect, identified as Christian Castro, faces four counts of second-degree assault, along with an additional charge related to filing a false official report. He was taken into custody after investigators from the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension located him, according to a statement from the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office.
The case stems from a January operation carried out by ICE during which Castro shot Julio César Sosa, a Venezuelan migrant, in the leg. Prosecutors allege that the agent later submitted a misleading account of the incident, claiming that Sosa and another migrant had attacked officers with a shovel and a broomstick.
However, investigators say that video evidence and further findings contradicted that version of events, leading to the dismissal of charges initially brought against the migrants by federal prosecutors.
ICE’s acting director, Todd Lyons, acknowledged in February that agents involved in the incident had given “false sworn testimony” about what occurred.
Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty described Friday’s arrest as a “critical step forward” in the judicial process and reaffirmed that the investigation remains ongoing.
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