Colombia rebel group Segunda Marquetalia splits, but peace talks go on

By Luis Jaime Acosta

BOGOTA (Reuters) -The Colombian rebel group Segunda Marquetalia has split in two, but the larger faction will continue to pursue peace talks with the government, it said on Wednesday.

Founded by former members of FARC guerrillas who remained loyal to Marxist ideals and the pursuit of armed struggle, Segunda Marquetalia rejected the landmark 2016 peace deal between the FARC and the government that had sought to end decades of conflict in Colombia.

Prolonged peace negotiations with Segunda Marquetalia and other dissident groups have been championed by President Gustavo Petro, the South American country's first leftist president, who decades ago was a member of a different rebel group.

In a statement released on Wednesday, Segunda Marquetalia said there had been what it termed a "clear breakdown" in unity among its ranks.

"There was internal division within Segunda Marquetalia," said Armando Novoa, the government's chief negotiator with the group.

Novoa told Reuters that peace talks continue "with those who show an interest," which he said was a majority of the group's members, without providing figures.

He said the divisions within Segunda Marquetalia, one of the largest remnants of the now-dissolved Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), stem from a lack of communication between the group's top leader, Ivan Marquez, and veteran commander Walter Mendoza.

Mendoza has been acting as chief negotiator for the group, which is made up of more than 1,700 combatants. They are primarily based in northeastern Colombia near the Venezuelan border in jungle and mountainous areas key to lucrative drug trafficking and illegal mining.

In July, Mendoza told Reuters that the group would not disarm until the government offered more concessions, calling for social investment in long-neglected parts of the country.

The statement from Segunda Marquetalia's majority faction lamented the group's split, saying there had been "a clear breakdown in coordination" and that unity was needed to secure a peace deal.

It said they would no longer use the Segunda Marquetalia name, but that they remained committed to the peace talks.

"We reiterate our commitment to continue advancing," they said, pledging to work with Petro to "achieve a great peace deal."

(Reporting by Luis Jaime Acosta; Writing by David Alire Garcia; Editing by Rosalba O'Brien)