A former senior commander of Colombia’s now-defunct FARC rebel group, who was thought to be dead, emerged in a video released Saturday expressing his support for the government’s desire to begin talks.
Ivan Marquez, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia’s (FARC) second-in-command at the time, assisted in the negotiation of a critical 2016 peace agreement before returning to guns in 2019.
He commands Segunda Marquetalia, a FARC branch with approximately 1,600 men, according to military intelligence.
Colombian media speculated in July about his death during an incident in Venezuela in 2022, but the government denied the claims. In March, police stated that he was in Colombia.
An sample from the 16-minute video published by El Pais newspaper on Saturday shows Marquez wearing a T-shirt and spectacles.
AFP could not independently verify the recording’s authenticity.
“A Bolivarian constitution for Colombia would be an extraordinary idea,” Marquez, whose real name is Luciano Marin, is heard saying, referring to Colombian President Gustavo Petro’s proposal to create a constituent assembly.
“The winds of change are blowing, awakening the hope of the multitudes,” he said.
According to El Pais, the recording was presented during a peace meeting in Vichada, Colombia’s eastern province near the Venezuelan border.
Marquez participated in the negotiations in Havana that resulted in the historic 2016 cease-fire agreement.
He briefly returned to civilian life and was elected senator before appearing in a video in August 2019 wearing camouflage and carrying a rifle to announce his new insurrection.
Petro, Colombia’s first socialist president, has vowed to resolve the country’s six-decade battle between security forces, insurgents, right-wing paramilitaries, and drug gangs.
In February, Petro’s government and Marquez’s Segunda Marquetalia declared the start of discussions but did not specify a date.