Leftist President Gustavo Petro has compared Mordisco to the infamous drug baron Pablo Escobar, and his government has offered some $1.4 million for information on his whereabouts.

The fugitive leads the Estado Mayor Central (EMC), the main breakaway faction of the now-defunct rebel army FARC, which laid down arms in a historic 2016 peace deal.

Defense Minister Pedro Sanchez spoke to AFP on a plane as Colombia endures its worst bout of violence in a decade.

Mordisco is "scared, desperate," according to the minister, who was traveling to the Amazonian Putumayo region to oversee the eradication of coca crops.

"It is very likely that the Colombian state will capture him and bring him to justice," he said. "We will not rest until we fulfill that mission."

The country is preparing to select a new president in a second round of voting on June 21, and the government is looking to flaunt its ability to handle guerrilla violence -- a central theme of the election.

Sanchez claimed the state had bombed Mordisco's fighters on May 31, taking out "more than 160 members who were very close to him."

He believes the guerrilla commander is located somewhere in the southeastern Amazon.

- Bid for peace -

In April, the EMC killed 21 people in a highway bombing in the southwestern Cauca region, the worst attack on civilians in two decades. The group later claimed a tactical error.

Petro has tried and failed to negotiate peace with Colombia's myriad armed groups, which reap enormous profits through drug trafficking, illegal mining and extortion.

His critics accuse him of being soft on criminal organizations, which grew stronger during his term, intelligence data shows.

Sanchez acknowledged the country's "security challenges" but rejected the idea that it is undergoing "unprecedented" violence.

Nevertheless, these issues have dominated elections.

Mordisco has declared a ceasefire for the June 21 runoff, in which hard-right millionaire lawyer Abelardo de la Espriella will face off against leftist Senator Ivan Cepeda.

Candidates have reported receiving death threats, and heavy security protocols have become standard following the assassination of right-wing candidate Miguel Uribe last year.

"Violent polarization" does nothing but harm democracy and increase risks for candidates, Sanchez said.

He underlined improved relations between the government and the military following the left's victory in 2022.

"It was the opposite of a marriage. It went from worse to better," he said with a laugh.