Colombia’s largest paramilitary successor group AGC, a.k.a. “Los Urabeños,” has said it regrets the suspension of an ongoing peace process with FARC rebels and reiterated its request to be included in the process.
The AGC, or Gaitanista Self-Defense Forces of Colombia, is the country’s largest armed group in Colombia after the FARC and the most powerful drug trafficking group in the country.
With FARC gone, paramilitary successor AGC is now Colombia’s largest armed group
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AGC / Urabeños
The group’s “political team” said in an editorial on its website that it has intentionally laid low in the weeks ahead of the vote, in spite of their expressed support for the peace process with the FARC in the months before the campaign preceding the referendum that stopped the process in its tracks.
“We didn’t make public manifestations ahead of the vote so that it wouldn’t be said that illegal armed groups had interfered one way or another in the electoral result. But that does not mean we are indifferent of what has happened, or we do not regret the outcome.”
Gaitanista Self-Defense Forces of Colombia
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AUC
The group said to regret the outcome of the referendum “because we are aware of the tremendous damage done to the institutionality of the country.”
While the AGC’s predecessor, paramilitary organization AUC, was violently anti-FARC, the group that claims to be a remnant of the now-defunct AUC was critical, but diplomatic about the guerrillas they have engaged in combat with several times this year.
It is evident that the “Yes” campaign was tame and in many parts nonexistent. There was no lack of important gestures by the FARC, but they took too long to happen like the destruction of explosives in the plains of Yari, the public acts of repentance for the massacres of La Chinita and Apartado, or their expressed will to contribute property for the reparation of victims. They did this so late it had no influence whatsoever on the result.
Gaitanista Self-Defense Forces of Colombia
Nevertheless, the neo-paramilitaries said that “the bases of the FARC should be asking themselves in what mess their commanders put them.”
The paramilitary successor group was significantly more critical of those campaigning for a “No” vote, led by former President Alvaro Uribe, who won the referendum but has since been embroiled in election fraud allegations.
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What was feared proved true. There weren’t any proposals behind those promoting “No” who with all kinds of arguments, some true but others entirely false. This was about political calculations, a power struggle, and not thinking of the suffering nation. Now suddenly the deals aren’t all bad when nothing that was agreed convinced them before. Now you CAN talks to terrorists and criminals while for four years they have said the opposite.
Gaitanista Self-Defense Forces of Colombia
The AGC argued that the “gigantic impasse” does open the possibility to also include the neo-paramilitaries in the negotiations currently taking place between President Juan Manuel Santos and opponents of the peace process.
This is the time for generosity, to act constructively and think of the nation’s most important interests. It is also the opportunity to create a more inclusive process than the one that has been taking place, and that we other illegal armed actors are asked to participate in am effort to swing Colombians’ preference in favor of peace.
Gaitanista Self-Defense Forces of Colombia
The paramilitary successors’ support for the peace process is not new, but has become more significant after the rejection of the FARC peace process.
One of the arguments used by ‘No’ voters has been that while Santos has promised peace, other armed groups in the conflict continue to terrorize areas under their control.
Urabeños make it clear that they, not the police, are the authority in north Colombia
At the same time, the AGC’s possible involvement in the peace process could complicate it even further as both the government and the FARC have said they want a quick end to the crisis.
The Santos administration has categorically rejected talks with the AGC, but according to the top peace official of the Antioquia province, the stomping ground of both the AUC and their successor, preliminary talks with the group are already underway.