Meet the secretive Colombian guerrillas who could deal final blow to peace plan

A guerrilla of Colombian rebel group Segunda Marquetalia stands guard, in Colombia's Pacific jungle, Colombia, July 25, 2024. REUTERS/Daniel Becerril

COLOMBIA'S PACIFIC JUNGLE (Reuters) - Amid stifling heat and humidity in the remote Colombian jungle, guerrillas carrying machine guns and rifles creep their way through the undergrowth, patrolling along a river where their presence assures control over important transport routes for the cocaine they tax.

The Segunda Marquetalia group was formed in 2019 by dissident members of the now-demobilized Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). They say the government has failed to comply with the terms of a 2016 peace deal that ended the FARC's part in Colombia's long conflict - and they want more concessions before they will give up their guns.