Members of a dissident faction of Colombia’s former FARC guerrillas killed 11 Ecuadorian soldiers during a military operation against an illegal mine in the Amazon rainforest, according to Ecuador’s armed forces.
“There are 11 soldiers dead and one wounded,” stated the military in a communiqué, while the country’s prosecutor had earlier reported eight fatalities.
80 soldiers were conducting operations in multiple locations targeting illegal mining activities in the Alto Punino area (north-east) when they were ambushed by the “Border Commandos,” who were armed with explosives, grenades, and rifles, as informed by military intelligence.
One member of this rebel faction was killed in the clash, according to the same source.
Some factions of the former FARC have rejected the peace agreement signed in 2016, refusing to disarm and continuing their criminal activities, particularly drug trafficking, in regions near the Ecuador-Colombia border.
These groups are also involved in illegal mining operations.
Once considered a haven of peace in a troubled region, Ecuador has experienced a surge in crime, recording one murder per hour in 2025, the highest rate in Latin America.
Several criminal organisations linked to Colombian and/or Mexican cartels operate in the area.
In Colombia, the “Border Commandos” are engaged in peace talks with President Gustavo Petro, who aims to resolve the decades-long conflict with guerrillas as a key objective of his administration.
The leader of this dissident group, Andrés Rojas, known as “Araña,” was captured in February on the sidelines of the discussions. A US court is seeking his extradition to face drug trafficking charges, as reported by the Colombian prosecutor.
