President Gustavo Petro designated 18 of Colombia’s most notorious former war lords as “peace brokers” ahead of talks about their possible participation in peace building.
The decree signed by Petro allows his peace commissioner to organize events in which former AUC leaders, including those who remain in prison.
In the framework of a series of meetings held between the Office of the Peace Commissioner and former members of the extinct and self-styled Self-0Defense Forces of Colombia, between 2023 and 2024, it was agreed to set up technical roundtables. In this context, the persons to be appointed as peace brokers expressed their willingness to contribute with their knowledge and experience to the development of peace building activities and guarantees of non-repetition, structuring of peace processes and strategies for rapprochement with illegal armed actors.
Decree 453 of 2024
Among those who were appointed peace brokers are the AUC’s former top commander, Salvatore Mancuso, and regional unit commanders like “El Taladro” and “Jorge 40.”
Former Medellin drug lord and AUC founder “Don Berna” was also named peace broker despite being incarcerated in the United States.
Appointed “peace brokers”
- Ramon Maria Isaza, a.k.a. “El Viejo”
Former commander of the Magdalena Medio Self-Defense Forces and father of alleged EGC commander “Terror” - Arnubio Triana, a.k.a. “Botalon”
Former commander of the “Puerto Boyaca Self-Defense Forces” and “Los Botalones” - Hector Jose Buitrago, a.k.a. “El Patron”
Former commander of the Casanare Campesino Self-Defense Forces - Ramiro Vanoy, a.k.a. “Cuco Vanoy”
Former commander of the Mineros Bloc - Hernan Giraldo, a.k.a. “El Taladro”
Former commander of the Tayrona Resistance Front - Luis Eduardo Cifuentes, a.k.a. “El Aguila”
Former AUC commander in the Cundinamarca province - Manuel de Jesus Piraban, a.k.a. “Pirata”
Former commander of the Centaurus Bloc and the Llanos Heroes Front - Juan Francisco Prada, a.k.a. “Juancho Prada”
Former commander of the Hector Julio Peinado Bloc - Jose Baldomero Linares, a.k.a. “Guillermo Torres”
Former commander of the Meta and Vichada Campesino Self-Defense Forces - Salvatore Mancuso, a.k.a. “El Mono”
Former commander of the Cordoba Bloc and the Catatumbo Bloc - Carlos Mario Jimenez, a.k.a. “Macaco”
Former commander of the Central Bolivar Bloc - Diego Fernando Murillo, a.k.a. “Don Berna”
Former leader of the “Oficina de Envigado” - Herbert Veloza, a.k.a. “HH”
Former commander of the “Bananero Bloc” and the “Calima Bloc” - Rodrigo Tovar, a.k.a. “Jorge 40”
Former commander of the “Northern Bloc” - Rodrigo Perez, a.k.a. “Julian Bolivar”
Former commander of the Central Bolivar Bloc - Fredy Rendon, a.k.a. “El Aleman”
Former commander of the Elmer Cardenas Bloc - Edwar Cobos, a.k.a. “Diego Vecino”
Former commander of the Montes de Maria Bloc - Hector German Buitrago, a.k.a. “Martin Llanos”
Former commander of the Casanare Campesino Self-Defense Forces
Petro’s decision is controversial because many of the former AUC chiefs have in the past failed to cooperate with justice and are suspected to have kept many of the spoils of war.
The talks with the former warlords will be held parallel to negotiations with AUC successor groups like the EGC and “Los Pachenca,” as well as guerrilla group ELN and a dissident faction of FARC dissident organization EMC.
