:format(jpeg)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/elespectador/WRUVP2OHXFEZRD2I3QIP2CYP4A.png "Iván Márquez reappears on video to talk about President Petro’s policies")
For the first time, Iván Márquez, commander of the FARC dissident, known as Segunda Marquetalia, appeared in a video after he had been presumed dead. The piece was published by the newspaper El País and had direct transmission through the Facebook account of the former governor of Vichada, Luis Carlos Álvarez.
Although there were indications that he was alive and was even in Colombia, until now there was no proof of his survival. Until this Saturday, May 11, Márquez spoke for almost 17 minutes about the policies of President Gustavo Petro. He even showed support for the Constituent Assembly.
“We defend the right of ordinary people to health, employment and housing. No more privatization of public services, which today have become the vile business of national and foreign companies. We are going to rescue the majesty of the primary constituent, which is the people. He is the legitimate authority. His will must be followed by all State institutions. It should never be forgotten that the sovereign is the people, and the rights of the people prevail over the ambition for wealth of the oligarchies and transnational corporations,” Iván Márquez is heard saying.
The video was played during the Binational Forum for life, peace and biodiversity of the Amazon and Orinoquia, an event held in Puerto Carreño, an initiative of the Departmental Assembly. The event took place at the Coliseum of that municipality. The former governor of Vichada, Luis Carlos Álvarez, described the meeting as “a momentous event that brings together leaders and experts from Colombia and Venezuela to discuss peace, sustainable development and the natural wealth of our Amazon region.”
In the audiovisual piece, Márquez is seen reading a statement while images of the territory are superimposed. Furthermore, during the speech, Márquez is seen in the background with an image of Simón Bolívar and Commander Manuel Marulanda. “We are still here, with hope alive,” says the commander of the Second Marquetalia.
The event featured three panel discussions on cross-border challenges and opportunities and positive momentum in the region. In addition, the mayor of Cumaribo, Armel Caracas, participated, the only former FARC combatant who reached a popularly elected position in the elections on October 29.
Denying the news of Márquez’s death in the middle of an attack, the former peace commissioner, Danilo Rueda, on October 12, 2022, said that he had met with the commander, who was “alive and lucid.” Precisely, at that meeting they were in the exploratory phase so that the Second Marquetalia would rise to the total peace proposed by President Gustavo Petro.
Subsequently, no one knew of Márquez’s whereabouts, until on March 27 of this year, General William Salamanca assured that he was located in the country. According to the uniformed man, intelligence work made it possible to locate the dissident commander in Colombia. However, at that time, no reliable evidence of Márquez’s survival was provided.
What is the Second Marquetalia?
The Second Marquetalia is present in at least five regions of Colombia and was created on August 29, 2019, when ‘Iván Márquez’, ‘Jesús Santrich’, ‘Romaña’ and ‘El Paisa’ announced that, despite having signed the Peace Agreement with the Government, they would return to arms. In a book that he released from hiding, called Second Marquetalia, Márquez acknowledged that he did not agree with what was agreed in Havana, but still signed the agreement.
The rearmament of this group of former commanders of the extinct guerrilla was preceded by the attempt to create a single dissident that would also include those who did not sign the Final Agreement and among whom were Iván Mordisco and Gentil Duarte, who later announced the creation of another faction. , today known as the Central General Staff of the FARC.
How are the negotiations with the Second Marquetalia going?
Last August, the then high peace commissioner, Rueda, told Colombia+20 that the Government was in contact with Márquez to resume dialogue. Among the main advances is that, on February 29, 2024, the Government recognized the nine delegates so that the Prosecutor’s Office could proceed with the lifting of the arrest warrants. And on April 25, Attorney General Luz Adriana Camargo suspended the arrest warrants, which would be a key step for the start of negotiations with that armed group.
The document mentions José Aldinever Sierra, José Vicente Lesmes, William Danilo Malaver, Alberto Cruz Lobo, Geovanny Andrés Rojas, Luis André Figueroa, Allende Perilla Sandoval, José Darley Malagón Jiménez and Henry Quiñones Angulo. However, it stands out that among the suspended arrest warrants is not that of Iván Márquez. On the other hand, the list does include José Aldinever Sierra, alias Zarco Aldinever, second man in command of the criminal organization, who would be the man closest to the leader of the structure.
The Minister of Defense, Iván Velásquez, during a security council in Fusagasugá (Cundinamarca), recently announced that negotiations would be a reality.
“The dialogues are going to take place. They are in the process of forming delegations and suspending arrest warrants. That is the process carried out by the office of the High Commissioner for Peace with the Attorney General’s Office,” said Minister Velásquez.