Overview
- Local leaders and the army say clashes that began on Monday in Barranco Colorado, Guaviare, have left at least 48 people dead, a figure that officials are still trying to verify.
- Colombian authorities attribute the fighting to rival dissident factions led by aliases 'Iván Mordisco' and 'Calarcá', who are contesting control of trafficking routes, extortion networks and illegal mining.
- The Defense Ministry deployed troops overland after poor weather blocked an aerial insertion, and the army says it is coordinating with local and international bodies to secure the area for recoveries.
- Officials and the defense minister warned there may be minors among the victims and said teams from the prosecutor's office and Medicina Legal have been sent to forensically verify bodies once security allows access.
- The violence raises immediate concerns for election security days before the presidential vote and highlights the persistent power of post‑2016 dissident networks that fund themselves from illicit economies.