Why is Iván Mordisco So Crucial to Total Peace in Colombia?

Iván Mordisco, one of Colombia’s most important guerrilla commanders, has agreed to peace talks with the government. Given his history of refusing such dialogue, this is a major step forward for President Gustavo Petro’s “Total Peace” plan, which aims to open negotiations with over 20 criminal groups.?

Nestor Gregorio Vera Fernández, alias “Iván Mordisco,” made a high-profile appearance at a meeting held?on Sunday, April 16?by dissident groups who rejected the?FARC?guerrillas’ 2016 peace agreement with the government, known as the?ex-FARC mafia.

Mordisco controls?the?Central General Staff?(Estado Mayor Central - EMC), the largest of the ex-Farc mafia?dissident groups. It has feuded with rivals, such as the?Second Marquetalia (Segunda Marquetalia), which other ex-FARC commanders created in 2019.

Given his stature as a guerrilla leader, Mordisco's new openness to negotiating with the government could boost Petro’s Total Peace plan, which seeks to negotiate peace deals or surrender agreements with other armed organizations including the Second Marquetalia, other guerrilla groups, paramilitary organizations, and gangs.

However, Mordisco’s newfound willingness to talk peace does not necessarily mean disarmament has universal support among the dissidents he leads.

The?Central General Staff’s?apparent commitment to peace could prove fragile given its disputes with other armed groups over criminal economies and territories. A report from NGO?Indepaz?blamed Mordisco’s guerrillas for more violent actions than any other armed organization in the first two months of 2023, despite having agreed to a ceasefire with Colombia’s armed forces.

Mordisco ascended the ranks of the FARC after joining the group in the late 1990s, eventually coming to command the 1st Front. He remained one of the foremost members of the ex-FARC mafia and gained increasing importance in 2022 after numerous other former FARC commanders were killed.?

The Colombian government under former President Ivan Duque claimed to have killed Mordisco in July 2022, but he reappeared in October in an interview in which he showed interest in negotiating with Petro’s government.

InSight Crime continues to shed light on Colombia's criminal actors and their role in the country's severe security challenges. Stay up-to-date with organized crime news about?Colombia?at insightcrime.org.