Colombia's Cauca region hit by death of top FARC dissident and murders of two social leaders

President Gustavo Petro announced that Iván Jacobo Idrobo Arredondo, alias “Marlon”, a senior leader of the dissident Central High Command (EMC) of the former FARC, was killed in an operation in the department of Cauca. Petro described the killing as “the hardest blow to the armed mafia structures in western Colombia” and a victory for the army.

In separate incidents, two social leaders were murdered: Eduardo Ojeda, president of the community action board in Cravo Norte, Arauca, and his relative Willy Ojeda were shot in the Vereda Los Caballos; and indigenous environmental defender Milton Cerquera was killed in the Vereda Rionegro, Cauca. The human‑rights group Indepaz reported that 71 social leaders have been assassinated in 2026. The killings occurred amid confrontations between the ELN, FARC dissident factions and local armed groups, raising concerns over escalating violence ahead of the presidential runoff.

The events highlight the heightened risk to community leaders and Indigenous peoples in regions where illegal armed groups contest territorial and economic control.