The High Commissioner for Peace of the Colombian Government, Otty Patiño, has confirmed that members of the National Liberation Army (ELN) guerrilla would have killed a leader of the Second Marquetalia, identified as José Manuel Sierra Sabogal, known as 'Zarco Aldinever', who is linked to the assassination of presidential candidate Miguel Uribe.
"What reliable, quite reliable sources assure me is that this gentleman died at the hands of (the structure) Pablito Arauca, of the ELN. They did not bury him. His body was thrown into a river in the Eastern Plains. They speak to me of the Arauca River. Definitely, this gentleman is dead. The 'elenos' killed him. The information comes from people who knew the event," Patiño explained in an interview with the Colombian magazine 'Semana'.
The Second Marquetalia is the most politically characterized split of the former Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), which emerged after the complex peace process that culminated in the 2016 agreement and ended up fragmenting the former guerrilla into different groups, many of them linked to drug trafficking.
According to Patiño, the confirmation of 'Zarco Aldinever's' death is categorical due to the origin of the data received. This event comes to light amid the paralysis of talks between the Executive and the ELN. The commissioner considers that the process with this guerrilla group is "frozen," with no dialogue tables in operation.
Miguel Uribe Turbay, presidential pre-candidate and senator, was assassinated on August 11, 2025, in Bogotá. The political leader died in the hospital after being urgently admitted upon receiving several bullet impacts.
At the same time, Patiño has pointed to a growing internal disarticulation within the Second Marquetalia following the disappearance of its former leadership, headed by alias 'Iván Márquez'.
Regarding the direction of the dialogues with the guerrillas after the election of Abelardo de la Espriella as the new president, Patiño has stressed that the country cannot go from the total peace promoted by Gustavo Petro to a "total war."
In the report he will present to De la Espriella, the high commissioner will propose to sustain the negotiation processes with those armed groups that demonstrate a willingness to advance, analyzing the transformations in the territories most affected by the conflict. However, he has specified that contacts with the structure of 'Iván Mordisco' remain broken due to the lack of disposition from that group.