Number two of FARC dissident suspected of Uribe assassination in Colombia, dies

The second highest ranking member of the FARC's dissident faction Segunda Marquetalia, an organization suspected in the assassination of Colombian presidential candidate Miguel Uribe, was killed by rival ELN rebels in Venezuelan territory, Defense Minister Pedro Sanchez said Monday.

The Segunda Marquetalia, led by former negotiator Iván Márquez, took up arms again after the signing of the 2016 peace agreement. According to military intelligence, the organization of some 2,000 fighters is one of the main suspects in the investigation into the attack against Uribe on June 7.

"The ELN assassinated Zarco Aldinever in Venezuelan territory very close to the Colombian-Venezuelan border. The reasons, those of every cartel, the fight for drug trafficking, apparently among themselves they stole some cocaine shipment and a criminal fight between cartels was declared," explained Minister Sanchez in a press conference in Bogota.

The minister did not specify when the death of Aldinever, whose real name was Jose Manuel Sierra, occurred, although according to the Insight Crime research center it was in early August.

Uribe's assassination and inaction on justice

Uribe, who was a senator and 39-year-old presidential pre-candidate, died Monday after two months of hospitalization in intensive care and multiple surgeries for the brutal shooting attack he suffered while holding a campaign rally in Bogota.

Six people were arrested for the attack, including the alleged 15-year-old assailant who shot him twice in the head, and who days ago escaped from prison.

"The conclusions we have had in terms of intelligence is that one line points to a very important connection between the perpetrators of this assassination with the Segunda Marquetalia cartel," Sanchez stated.

Who was Jose Manuel Sierra?

According to Insight Crime, Sierra joined the then-FARC in 1990 when he was 14 years old.

After signing the peace agreement, he reappeared in 2019 in camouflage and with a rifle alongside other rebels in a video in which they announced their rearmament as the Second Marquetalia. With the historic Iván Márquez (Luciano Marín Arango), they alleged non-compliance with the agreement by the state.

Over time, Sierra became a key player for the dissidents in cocaine trafficking in the departments of Meta, Cundinamarca and Boyaca, in the center of the country.