The return of the FARC: an “old new” territory?

In his statement, Iván Márquez said that:

• They are seeking alliances with the guerrilla of the National Liberation Army (ELN) and with "those comrades who have not folded their flags that claim homeland for all."
• They enter a new stage of armed struggle against what they selected as an "exclusive and corrupt oligarchy."
• The State will know a "new modality" that only responds to the "offensive", and promises that it will seek dialogue with businessmen, ranchers and merchants, among others, to contribute to the "progress of rural and urban communities."
• "The objective is not the soldier or the police respectful of popular interests. It will be the oligarchy, that exclusive and corrupt oligarchy, mafia and violent who believes he can continue to block the door of the future of the country"

Although in the video Márquez claims to be in the Colombian Orinoquía, it seems that was recorded on the other side of the border, in Venezuelan territory. This situation is one of many that highlights the use of the territory of the neighboring country as a strategic rearguard from which to organize, carry out criminal activities and other logistic aspects (Semana, 2019).

On the other hand, days after Márquez's speech to take up arms, the Maduro government announced the realization of military exercises in the border area with Colombia, declaring an orange alert in it, under the speech that the government Colombia does not want peace and is only looking for a false positive to attack Venezuela, noting that the Bolivarian country provides protection to irregular groups.

The truth of this whole scenario is that raises questions regarding the power of organized armed groups and dissent in Venezuelan territory, especially because historically guerrilla groups have used Venezuela as a place of refuge and grouping. It is important to point out that the situation passes not only through the binational and border areas, but also transcends the international one, taking into account the disputes and interests in which the United States, Venezuela, Russia, China, Nicaragua, Cuba and other countries confront the political, economic and social crisis that the Bolivarian country is going through and of which Colombia has not been foreign.

Based on the above and the control of coca cultivation in Colombia by these groups, Venezuela is the ideal territory for planning operations, criminal activities, logistics, rearmament, reorganization and, above all, dissemination of ideological interests, under a regime that wants to show itself to the world as powerful not only at the level of international allies, but also by taking advantage of anyone who is willing to defend it.

In this way, the former members of the FARC and their announced dissent need Venezuela to enjoy strategic access to Colombia in the face of how porous the binational border is, in addition to having access to weapons and ammunition, but above all to drug trafficking routes in both countries. In addition to this, the announcement of Márquez to establish alliances with the ELN, which would have an immediate military support base in both territories, should be highlighted. However, the future of this alliance is uncertain in the face of the interests and disputes that it may cause.

According to InSight Crime (2019), there is presence of former FARC members in at least eight states of Venezuela: Zulia (border with Cesar and La Guajira), Táchira (border with Norte de Santander), Apure (border with Norte de Santander, Arauca and Vichada) Bolívar, Guárico, Barinas, Amazonas (Border with Vichada and Guainía) and Aragua. In them, they exert some influence through alliances with local gangs and carry out propaganda activities through Venezuelan broadcasters for recruitment.
On the other hand, International Crisis Group (2019) has indicated the illegal exploitation of minerals (mainly gold and coltan) in Venezuelan territory by these dissidents. Since 2012, Gener García Molina (aka Jhon 40) led the efforts to control illegal mines in the state of Amazonas. Currently and as one of the most notorious members of the FARC dissidents and contrary to the peace process, he moves weapons, cocaine and money through the Guaviare, Guainía and Inírida rivers, which flow between Colombia and Venezuela. In fact, it is indicated as a key piece in the transfer of Márquez and Santrich to Venezuelan territory, in addition to having links with the Maduro regime and appearing on various occasions with military garments from the neighboring country (InSight Crime, 2019).

Although illegal mining is part of the diversity of income of these groups along with extortion, smuggling, among others, does not exceed drug trafficking as the main source of income, taking into account the organization of shipments from laboratories in Colombian territory and its transport across the border with Venezuela, to later send them worldwide. That is, the perfect scenario taking advantage of the porosity of the border to commit crime not only nationally, but also internationally.

In general terms, Márquez and Maduro's announcements come together as a form of deterrence and reorganization of military powers to test Colombia's actions and response to a possible binational conflict or military intervention by the United States. Similarly, the situation poses a scenario of situational alertness, in the face of threats such as drug trafficking, illegal mining, smuggling in border areas, as well as the presence of the ELN in the face of possible alliances with the new FARC dissent.
Finally, even with all its imperfections, the peace agreement must continue with its implementation, guarantees and commitments made by the parties. Peace will always be better than war in any scenario, especially where problems such as corruption, social inequality and lack of access to education are the daily bread and require attention and solution also.

Bibliography

InSight Crime. (2019, september 04). Ex-FARC Mafia: Colombia’s Criminal Army Settling Down in Venezuela. Retrieved from InSight Crime: https://www.insightcrime.org/news/analysis/ex-farc-mafia-colombias-criminal-army-finding-home-venezuela/
International Crisis Group. (2019, february 28). Gold and Grief in Venezuela’s Violent South. Retrieved from International Crisis Group: https://www.crisisgroup.org/latin-america-caribbean/andes/venezuela/073-gold-and-grief-venezuelas-violent-south
Semana. (2019, august 30). Los mensajes cifrados del discurso de rearme de Iván Márquez. Retrieved from Semana: https://www.semana.com/nacion/articulo/los-mensajes-cifrados-del-discurso-de-rearme-de-ivan-marquez/629662

By: René Alonso Guerra Molina. PhD (c) in Social Sciences, Universidad del Norte.
Associate Professor of the Institute of High Social and Cultural Studies of Latin America and the Caribbean, Universidad del Norte.
Kimberly Green Latin American and Caribbean Center Visiting PhD Scholar, Florida International University.
Colciencias Fellow.
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Photo by Kobby Mendez on Unsplash