Colombia’s Congress approved a bill that allows President Gustavo Petro to negotiate the dismantling of illegal armed groups.
The bill gives Petro congressional support for his ambitious “Total Peace” policy, which seeks to reduce violence caused by illegal armed groups and organized crime.
According to Interior Minister Alfonso Prado, the approved legislation would allow Colombia to “turn the page” after decades of violence caused by armed conflict and drug trafficking.
Interior Minister Alfonso Prado
As part of the Total Peace policy, Peace Commissioner Danilo Rueda and guerrilla group ELN resumed peace talks that were suspended by former President Ivan Duque in 2018.
Petro and Rueda have additionally invited other illegal armed groups and organized crime groups to negotiate the conditions that would allow them to surrender to justice.
According to think tank Indepaz, more than 20 groups have expressed interest in negotiations.
Among these groups are the paramilitary organization AGC, and the largest groups formed by dissident former members of the now-defunct FARC guerrilla group.
The violence caused by the illegal armed groups is one of the biggest threats to a peace process agreed with the FARC in 2016.
The president has vowed to implement the FARC peace deal, which also includes a rural reform and the economic development of Colombia’s countryside, as part of the government’s peace policy.
Petro has additionally promised dramatic changes to the government’s drug policy, claiming that this would allow to reduce violence caused by the international cocaine trade.