Dec 03, (V7N) - Twelve people have been killed in southwestern Colombia since Saturday due to fighting between two dissident factions of the defunct FARC guerrilla group. The clashes took place in the Putumayo department, located on the border with Ecuador, and involved fighters led by a commander known as Calarca and members of the Segunda Marquetalia faction. These groups are competing for control over disputed territories, including those planted with coca, the main ingredient in cocaine production.

Calarca’s faction is one of the major groups currently engaged in peace negotiations with the Colombian government, having entered talks in October 2023. Meanwhile, Segunda Marquetalia is facing internal divisions and leadership challenges during its own peace negotiations with President Gustavo Petro’s administration. Petro, Colombia’s first left-wing president, has been working to resolve the country’s six-decade-long armed conflict by initiating peace talks with various guerrilla groups and criminal organizations.

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