Colombia: Military targets ex-FARC dissidents in Caquetá department August 30 /update 1

Event

According to Colombian President Iván Duque, nine ex-FARC (Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia) dissidents were killed in a bombing raid in San Vicente del Caguán municipality (Caquetá department) on Friday, August 30. The military operation comes one day after two ex-FARC commanders called for the resumption of armed struggle against the central government.

Further military operations are possible in Caquetá department in the coming days and weeks.

Context

A peace deal between FARC leadership and the Colombian government was ratified by the Colombian congress in November 2016, officially ending an armed conflict that killed more than 260,000 people over five decades. However, some dissident ex-FARC militants remain active, notably in the Colombian-Ecuadorian border region.

Advice

Individuals in or planning travel to Colombia are advised to keep abreast of the situation. Due to the presence of a number of armed groups - including drug cartels, right-wing militias, local gangs, and the ELN guerrilla group in addition to ex-FARC dissidents - Western governments generally advise against travel to various regions of the country, most notably most border areas on the frontiers with Ecuador, Peru, Brazil, Venezuela, and Panama.