This archive report was first published on 18 June 2020.
On June 18, 2020, the US State Department announced a significant increase in the reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of FARC dissidents Ivan Marquez and Jesus Santrich.
The reward, which was previously set at $5 million, has been increased to $10 million for information leading to the arrest and conviction of either Marquez or Santrich.
Colombia reached a peace agreement with the leftist guerrillas in 2016, which aimed to end decades of fighting that left nine million people dead, missing, or displaced.
However, in August 2020, Marquez, who was FARC's number two and chief negotiator, announced that he was taking up arms and joining fugitive colleague Jesus Santrich.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo accused the pair of involvement in drug trafficking and renewed allegations that they are supported by Venezuela's leftist leader Nicolas Maduro, whom Washington is trying to overthrow.
Timothy Shea, head of the Drug Enforcement Administration, stated that the FARC holdouts had partnered with 'Venezuelan elites' and profited off selling narcotics.
'DEA and our partners are committed to dismantling narco-terrorist organizations such as the FARC, and the corrupt political regimes that support them,' Shea said.
Santrich went underground last year after the United States sought his extradition, and Marquez already faced a $5 million US bounty, which was increased on Thursday.
While most FARC rebels disarmed under the deal, Colombian authorities say that around 2,300 dissidents remain.
On Wednesday, the Colombian army reported that six of its soldiers died in a clash with breakaway rebels.
