Former FARC guerrilla leader Ivan Marquez, who was believed to have been left for dead after an alleged attack in Venezuela in 2022, has reappeared in a video supporting the constituent process proposed by Colombian President Gustavo Petro.
In the video, Marquez, whose real name is Luciano Marín Arango, expressed his support for the constituent process and urged Colombians to participate in reorganizing institutions to be more fair and inclusive. The video, broadcast by the Spanish newspaper El País, also showed images of various areas of Colombia and President Petro.
The location where the video was captured is unknown, and the Colombian government has not yet confirmed the authenticity of the video. Marquez, a hardline rebel who rearmed after the 2016 peace agreement with the FARC, is opposed to the faction known as Second Marquetalia, which has around 1,663 combatants according to military intelligence.
Petro, Colombia’s first left-wing president, proposed holding a Constituent Assembly to reform the Constitution, a move that has generated questions and protests from opposition sectors.
The news of Marquez’s reappearance comes after Colombian media reported last year that he had died from injuries suffered in an alleged attack. However, those reports were later denied by Colombian authorities who confirmed that Marquez was not in danger of death and was recovering from his injuries.
Marquez’s return to arms in 2019 dealt a significant blow to the peace process that had reintegrated thousands of rebels from the FARC into civilian life. His reappearance in the video has reignited discussions about the future of the peace process in Colombia.
The video, which was published by Caracol Radio, features Marquez addressing his subordinates in the dissident faction of the Revolutionary Armed Forces and expressing his support for President Petro’s government. Marquez played a key role in the peace talks in Havana leading up to the 2016 treaty that demobilized the bulk of the FARC rebels.
The reappearance of Marquez in the video has sparked renewed interest in his role in Colombian politics and the ongoing peace process in the country.