The Colombian Army is conducting a large-scale military operation against FARC dissidents in the departments of Cauca and Valle del Cauca after guerrillas stormed the town of Morales early on Monday. The attack by the dissidents under the command of alias “Iván Mordisco” of the Central General Staff – Estado Mayor Central (EMC) – was directed against the town’s police command post, and in the ensuing gunfight, two members of the force were killed and six others injured.
A cellphone conversation released by the news magazine Semana documented the anguish of one police agent who was trapped inside the building and requested immediate back-up from his superiors. “My Sergeant, don’t let me die,” he pleaded. During the attack, the dissidents looted the local branch of the Agricultural Bank of Colombia (Banco Agrario de Colombia).
EMC also launched attacks against security forces in Suárez (Cauca), and Dagua (Valle del Cauca) after their incursion into Morales. On Tuesday evening, the Army was engaged in a fierce firefight with dissidents of the Jaime Martínez front near the town of Patia (Cauca).
With an intensification in Colombia’s internal conflict, President Petro sent a direct warning to alias “Mordisco” that the “offensive against the EMC in Cauca is total.” Petro ordered that a permanent Security Council be set up in the department to regain control of the situation.
High-ranking government officials, including Vice President Francia Márquez, Minister of the Interior Luis Fernando Velasco, Minister of Defense Iván Velásquez, and Director of the National Planning Department (DNP) Alexander López Maya, were dispatched to the departmental capital Popayán to address the crisis.
According to reports from the Army, a Bell UH-1H helicopter came under fire during the operation to regain control of Morales. Fortunately, the crew managed to evade the gunfire, highlighting the critical conditions of this rural community. Police intelligence also confirmed that the EMC used Barrett .50-calibre sniper rifles to shoot down aircraft and pierce the Army’s armoured vehicles. An estimated 1,600 EMC combatants are deployed across the departments of Cauca, Valle del Cauca, and Nariño.
Facing intense criticism that the Petro government has debilitated the Armed Forces, Minister Velasco emphasized that the attacks in Cauca are a consequence of ongoing operations following the suspension of a ceasefire agreement with FARC dissidents. According to Velasco, the government’s operations against illegal mining and drug trafficking are impacting the financial resources of illegal armed groups, prompting a heightened offensive in the southwest of the country.
Defense Minister Iván Velásquez has pledged closer collaboration between the Police and the Army, with increased deployments and technological upgrades to effectively counter illegal armed groups, and in a bid to reassure the local population, 100 new carabineros will be deployed to the region.
The dangerous situation in Morales came hours after the EMC detonated an explosive device on Friday in the town of Corinto; and launched another explosive device on Monday in Jamundí, Valle del Cauca, next to a hotel used by members of the National Police. Given the deteriorating security situation, President Petro ordered Major General Luis Emilio Cardozo out of early retirement and appointed him Commander of the Army. “The National Government trusts that the vast experience and leadership of General Cardozo will be fundamental,” assured the Casa de Nariño.
The new head of the Army was born in Yotoco (Valle del Cauca) in 1967. During the Presidency of Iván Duque, he was commander of the Air Assault Aviation Division (2020-2021), and Chief of Operations.
