Military operation in Guaviare leaves 20 casualties in the ranks of the Central General Staff
The Government of Colombia intensified its offensive against the Central General Staff (EMC), the main dissident group of the former FARC, following a decisive military operation carried out in the department of Guaviare. President Abelardo de la Espriella confirmed that the operation, named “Azarías,” has resulted in the neutralization of 20 members of the Carolina Ramírez structure.
The official report details that, in addition to the 20 deceased, five individuals were captured and two minors were recovered by state forces. Among those killed is alias “El Tigre,” leader of the Carolina Ramírez front, whose identity was confirmed through fingerprint tests, dealing a heavy blow to the hierarchy of the criminal organization led by Néstor Gregorio Vera, known as “Iván Mordisco.”
A strategic blow to operational capacity
During the execution of the operation, the authorities achieved a significant seizure of war material, including 26 rifles, four machine guns, three pistols, 13 vests, and ten field equipment sets. According to the president, this action significantly weakens the logistical and financial infrastructure of the armed groups that control drug trafficking routes in the area.
This blow affects the organization’s military, logistical, and financial capabilities and weakens its control over drug trafficking corridors. To Mordisco and his structures: the offensive continues. We are coming for your ringleaders, your men, your weapons, and your criminal finances. You will have no safe territory to hide in.
Abelardo de la Espriella, President of Colombia
Change in national security policy
This military deployment marks a dividing line in De la Espriella’s administration, which has prioritized the forcefulness of state power over the dialogue policies that characterized the previous administration. Recently, the leader announced the formal suspension of talks with various illegal armed structures, arguing an evident lack of will for peace on the part of these groups.
The current government’s strategy includes the revocation of appointments of government representatives in dialogue tables and the withdrawal of recognition of delegates from groups such as the Estado Mayor de Bloques y Frente, the Coordinadora Nacional Ejército Bolivariano, and the Autodefensas Conquistadores de la Sierra Nevada.
In recent days, the security context in the country has been marked by various operations in southern Colombia, where authorities have reported additional incidents involving minors recruited by outlaw groups, a problem that remains under strict surveillance by state institutions.
