Three fighters associated with the Ismael Ruiz Front, part of a splinter faction of the now largely disarmed Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) known as the Estado Mayor Central (FARC-EMC), were captured by Colombian security forces after an engagement between the two groups on Sunday, December 15 that began when Colombian military personnel identified a group of armed fighters as members of the group.
[CLASH]
Following its conclusion, the Colombian Ministry of Defense and Colombian Army reported the arrest of the three fighters, including a key ringleader within the FARC-EMC known as “Willington”. Military sources identified him as the head of the Carlos Patiño Front commission, another subgroup within the FARC-EMC. According to the Ministry of Defense, Willington had been sent to the Ismael Ruiz Front by the leader of the FARC-EMC, Néstor Gregorio Vera Fernández, known as “Iván Mordisco”, in order to “reform [its] criminal actions”.
One member of the armed group, identified by the alias “Vanessa”, was killed during the engagement, while a minor who had been forcibly recruited by the FARC-EMC was rescued. “Abundant war material” was also seized by Colombian forces. [1] [2]
The capture of Willington is another blow to the FARC-EMC, which has recently lost significant ground in Colombia’s southern Cauca Department, a historical stronghold for the armed group since it rejected the 2016 peace deal which saw the majority of the FARC disarm and disband. This loss was the result of Operation Perseus, a key military operation which successfully wrestled control of El Plateado, Cauca, which had acted as a key corridor for narcotics trafficking into neighboring Ecuador. Conflict between the FARC-EMC and the Colombian government persists following the latter’s dissolution of their ceasefire in March after the FARC-EMC attacked an indigenous community. [3]
Willington is not the only key member of the FARC-EMC that has been captured by security forces recently. The same day, December 15, another ringleader identified as José Ernesto Rivas Mosquera, also known by the alias “Negro Nicolay”, was arrested in La Aguililla, a rural district of Puerto Rico, Caquetá, following a “search and control operation” conducted by the Colombian military and national police. Negro Nicolay is reportedly the second-in-command of the Marco Aurelio Buendía Structure of the Jorge Briceño Bloc, and had an outstanding warrant for his arrest from both the Colombian government and Interpol for charges of conspiracy to commit a crime, forced displacement, and aggravated homicide. According to the Colombian military, Negro Nicolay was involved in a bombing attack in Vista Hermosa, Meta which left four soldiers seriously wounded. [4]
Sources
[1] - Ejército Nacional de Colombia (@COL_EJERCITO), “#ContundenciaOperacional | En el desarrollo de operaciones, tropas de @Ejercito_Div5 , realizaron la captura de 3 sujetos entre los cuales estaría alias Willington, cabecilla de comisión del frente Carlos Patiño, la muerte en desarrollo de operaciones de alias Vanessa, y la recuperación de un menor de edad en el sur de #Tolima. En el lugar fue incautado material de guerra e intendencia que sería utilizado para atemorizar a la población.”, X, December 15, 2024, post
[2] - Ministerio de Defensa Nacional (@mindefensa), “Asestamos contundente golpe al frente ‘Ismael Ruiz’ en el sur del Tolima: al notar la presencia de integrantes de la estructura residual, @COL_EJERCITOinicia los combates y logra la recuperación de un menor de edad, la captura de tres personas, la muerte en desarrollo de operaciones militares de un sujeto y la incautación de abundante material de guerra.Dentro de los capturados estaría alias Willington, cabecilla principal, quien obedecía órdenes de ‘Iván Mordisco’. Esta estructura venía desde el departamento del Cauca, hacían parte de la comisión Frente Carlos Patiño, y habrían recibido órdenes de llegar al Tolima para reformar las acciones criminales del grupo armado organizado residual Ismael Ruiz.Los capturados quedaron a disposición de la autoridades competentes y @PoliciaColombia.”, X, December 15, 2024, post
[3] - "Colombian Army Reclaims El Plateado from EMC Dissidents with Operation Perseo", The City Paper Bogotá, October 15, 2024, https://thecitypaperbogota.com/news/colombian-army-reclaims-el-plateado-from-emc-dissidents-with-operation-perseo/
[4] - “Autoridades capturan a segundo cabecilla del Frente Marco Aurelio Buendía, con circular azul de Interpol, en Puerto Rico, Caquetá”, Ejército Nacional de Colombia, December 15, 2024, https://www.ejercito.mil.co/autoridades-capturan-a-segundo-cabecilla-del-frente-marco-aurelio-buendia-con-circular-azul-de-interpol-en-puerto-rico-caqueta/