The government will stop using the name “Gulf Clan” to describe the paramilitary organization Ejercito Gaitanista de Colombia (EGC).
In a resolution, the Interior Ministry confirmed that “in a public statement issued on November 7, 2024, the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the Gaitanista Army of Colombia stated that its name is not Clan del Golfo, an expression that has been used by various Colombian state entities, and that from that date forward it would refer to itself as the Gaitanista Army of Colombia.”
In several meetings between the National Government delegation and the Gaitanista Self-Defence Forces of Colombia, the latter have insisted on respect for their self-designation ‘Gaitanista Army of Colombia.
Interior Ministry
The resolution is significant because it marks the end of 20 years of the government trying to conceal the paramilitary origins of the EGC.
The government called the group “The Gulf Clan” since 2016, in an attempt to portray the group as a drug trafficking organization.
Before, authorities would refer to the group as “Clan Usuga” or “Los Urabeños”.
The group now known as EGC was formed in 2006 as a dissident faction of the paramilitary organization Autodefensas Unidas de Colombia (AUC) that rearmed after the formal demobilization of the paramilitaries.
The group initially operated without a name while trying to regain control over AUC-controlled territories and organized crime rackets, including drug trafficking.
Since its formation, the EGC has become Colombia’s largest illegal armed group with more than 7,000 armed fighters and significant influence in politics and the economy, particularly in the north of the country.
The administration of President Gustavo Petro and the EGC have been trying to initiate negotiations that would allow the dismantling of the organization since 2022.
The resolution confirmed that multiple meetings have been held as part of these negotiations.
Some of these meetings have allegedly taken place abroad.
Related posts:
