OMM Redaksiyası
Colombian President Abelardo De La Espriella has officially suspended all peace talks between the government and illegal armed groups in the country. The decision ends the dialogue mechanisms established under former President Gustavo Petro’s “Total Peace” initiative.
A series of executive orders signed on Friday revoked the mandates of government representatives and negotiators involved in the peace processes. In a statement, the Presidential Administration said it was ending “dialogue processes, socio-legal forums and false peace.”
The decision affects talks with Colombia’s National Liberation Army (ELN), dissident groups of the former Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), the Clan del Golfo criminal organization, and urban gangs operating in Medellin, Buenaventura and Quibdo.
De La Espriella said years of negotiations had failed to reduce violence and had instead allowed armed groups to expand their influence and criminal activities. According to him, more than 7 billion Colombian pesos, or approximately $1.7 million, had been spent on fees paid to representatives, mediators and other participants in the talks.
The president said that figure did not include additional costs related to travel, security, logistics and special gathering zones established for the negotiations.
The new government plans to replace negotiations with a tougher law-enforcement strategy. De La Espriella said armed groups would face two choices: voluntarily surrender to the justice system or confront the full force of the state’s security forces.
“Those who sincerely declare their readiness to lay down their weapons must surrender to the justice system. Those who continue to commit violence against civilians will be confronted within the lawful and legitimate capabilities of the security forces,” the president said.
De La Espriella also stressed that his government would not grant political recognition or special legal concessions to organizations involved in criminal activities. Officials said future policy would focus on strengthening police and military operations rather than reaching political agreements with groups involved in drug trafficking, extortion and violence.
The decision is seen as a major shift in Colombia’s approach to its internal conflict. The Petro administration had pursued simultaneous talks with various groups in an effort to reduce violence and persuade armed organizations to abandon criminal activities.
Former President Juan Manuel Santos said Colombia should focus on fully implementing the 2016 peace agreement with the FARC rather than abandoning dialogue altogether. Santos, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, said rural poverty, drug trafficking and security problems in former conflict zones were closely linked to the future of the peace process.
Colombia’s internal conflict has lasted for more than six decades. Although the 2016 FARC agreement significantly reduced violence in some parts of the country, armed groups remain active, particularly in areas linked to cocaine production and drug-trafficking routes.
