FARC dissidents of “Iván Mordisco” announce ceasefire in Cali for COP16 Summit

The FARC dissident group, known as the Central General Staff (EMC), led by Néstor Gregorio Vera (alias “Iván Mordisco”), announced that it will suspend offensive actions and attacks in Cali during the UN COP16 summit.

The announcement on Wednesday, just weeks before the start of the major global biodiversity summit to be held in Valle del Cauca, specified the dates of a ceasefire without ruling out defensive actions. “We inform that from October 11 to November 6, offensive military operations against the public forces in the city of Cali are suspended due to the COP16 event. We reserve the right to self-defense,” reads the EMC statement. The dissidents go on to claim that: “A commitment to the life of the planet opposes the interests of the great imperial capital that seeks to take control of environmental areas.”

The EMC under “Iván Mordisco” has an extensive presence in the southern Pacific region, including the departments of Nariño, Cauca, and Valle, as well as militia networks in Cali, making their actions a threat to the global event, which will take place from October 21 to November 1, 2024.

At the beginning of July, when “Mordisco” withdrew from the negotiation table with the government of President Petro, he announced that one of his objectives would be to sabotage COP16. Since January 2024, when it was announced that Colombia had secured the honor of hosting the world’s most important biodiversity event, the security focus turned to Cali. The city is set to welcome over 12,000 visitors attending to support the commitments aimed at preventing the worsening effects of climate change.

Iván Mordisco’s recent offensive in Cauca has escalated to extreme levels, resulting in a massacre in Toribío on October 7, and the assault and looting of Agrarian Banks in Corinto and Caloto the following day.

Last week, during the launch of the Unified Command Post (PMU) in Cali, Defense Minister Iván Velásquez announced that the first 3,000 members of the National Police and Military would arrive in the city in the coming days to support surveillance and control plans. An estimated 11,000 soliders and police will guarantee the safety of delegates and ministers from around the world. Velásquez added that the Strategic Intelligence Operations Center would be responsible for having first-hand information to address and prevent any security risks that may arise during the summit.

With “Mordisco’s” announcement, Defense Minister Velásquez responded to the illegal armed group, stating that the “Armed Forces are not in a truce” and that the decision by the EMC was taken unilaterally. “What we expect is that no illegal organization attempts to carry out actions that threaten the security of COP16, ” emphasized Velásquez.