Colombia’s rebel leader calls for guerrilla unity

The head of the largest dissident branch of the former Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) guerrilla group called on other rebel groups to come together to fight US interventionism in the region, in a video message confirmed by the group as authentic on Friday.

The call from leader Nestor Gregorio Vera follows the US incursion into neighboring Venezuela, which resulted in the capture of President Nicolas Maduro.

“The shadow of the interventionist eagle looms over everyone equally. We urge you to put aside these differences,” Vera said in a video in which he appeared dressed in camouflage.

Colombian President Gustavo Petro - a former guerrilla who vowed to bring peace to the country after more than six decades of internal armed conflict - is set to meet US President Donald Trump in Washington in February.

The planned meeting comes days after Trump threatened Colombia with military action. Trump has repeatedly accused the administration of Petro, without evidence, of enabling a steady flow of cocaine into the US, imposing sanctions on the Colombian leader in October.

“Destiny is calling us to unite. We are not scattered forces, we are heirs to the same cause. Let us weave unity through action and forge the great insurgent bloc that will push back the enemies of the greater homeland,” Vera added in the video addressed to other rebel groups.