In a surprising turn of events, Latin America’s most formidable guerrilla groups are being encouraged to cease their long-standing conflicts and come together in opposition to President Donald Trump. This call for unity has gained momentum following the detention of former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, which has heightened concerns about a possible U.S.-backed military intervention.
The plea for solidarity was made by Colombia’s notorious insurgent leader, Nestor Gregorio Vera, also known as “Ivan Mordisco.” In a video released to the public, Vera urged rival rebel factions to unite despite years of vicious infighting, as reported by Reuters.
Vera, who is Colombia’s most sought-after rebel leader, appealed to key groups such as the National Liberation Army and other factions, suggesting the formation of a unified insurgent front spanning Colombia and Venezuela. The call to action marks a significant shift, as these groups have historically engaged in violent clashes over territory, drug trafficking routes, and control of illegal economies.
In the video, which depicts Vera in camouflage and accompanied by two heavily armed fighters, he stated, “The shadow of the interventionist eagle looms over everyone equally. We urge you to put aside these differences.” This statement underscores the urgency of the situation and the perceived common threat posed by external forces.
With the geopolitical landscape in flux, Vera’s appeal highlights a potential reevaluation of priorities among the region’s guerrilla factions. The unfolding developments suggest a complex and potentially volatile period ahead for Latin America. (DANIEL MUNOZ/AFP via Getty Images)
“The shadow of the interventionist eagle looms over everyone equally. We urge you to put aside these differences,” Vera said in the video, in which he appeared in camouflage flanked by two heavily armed fighters, Reuters said.
“Destiny is calling us to unite. We are not scattered forces, we are heirs to the same cause. Let us weave unity through action and forge the great insurgent bloc that will push back the enemies of the greater homeland,” he added.
Among the groups singled out was the left-wing National Liberation Army (ELN), Colombia’s largest and most powerful guerrilla organization, which controls vast stretches of the 1,400-mile border between Colombia and Venezuela.
Police patrol in Tibu, Colombia, Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025, following guerrilla attacks that have killed dozens of people and forced thousands to flee their homes in the Catatumbo region. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)
“The war between Mordisco’s Farc dissidents and the ELN has been very, very bloody with a huge humanitarian impact,” Jorge Mantilla, a security analyst and expert on Colombian guerrilla groups, told The Telegraph.
“So it calls my attention that, despite that, Mordisco is still saying, ‘stop this, let’s unite against our enemy, which is the U.S. and its intervention.’ So the cards are on the table.”
Colombian President Gustavo Petro, also a former guerrilla fighter, had seized on the threat of a united insurgent front to call for a concerted effort to “remove” drug-trafficking guerrillas.
He said he had invited Venezuela’s new leader, Delcy Rodriguez, to cooperate in rooting out the armed groups.
But reports of a potential joint military operation involving the U.S., Colombia and Venezuela also raised the prospect that the ELN could finally be dismantled after more than 60 years of insurgency.
Colombian insurgent leader Nestor Gregorio Vera has called for guerrilla unity after Nicolás Maduro’s capture and targets rival factions along the border.
As previously reported by Fox News Digital, guerrillas now operate along Venezuela’s 2,219-kilometer border with Colombia and control illegal mining near the Orinoco oil belt.
ELN has operated in Venezuela as a paramilitary force.
The group is believed to have around 6,000 fighters and controls key cocaine-producing regions, illegal mining operations and smuggling routes, per reports.
Following Maduro’s capture, the ELN vowed to fight to its “last drop of blood” against what it called the US empire.
“Today, the main goal of the ELN is not the takeover of power in Colombia or to rebuild a Colombian state, but more so to defend the Bolivarian Revolution, because they consider themselves a continental guerrilla [group] because their ideological inspiration is Latin Americanist, so they feel the struggle of Venezuela is their struggle,” Mantilla told the Telegraph.
“I think ELN is, right now, in a very vulnerable position,” Angelika Rettberg, political science professor at the University of the Andes in Colombia told the outlet.
“I also don’t think that even if they are able to build this unified organization, that would make them less likely to be hit by an eventual US attack,” Rettberg said.
