Colombian drug trafficking groups propose cease-fire with incoming government

By Laura Gamba

BOGOTA, Colombia (AA) - The Colombian paramilitary group Clan del Golfo and other armed groups have proposed a cease-fire to the incoming government of Gustavo Petro and have expressed their desire to begin peace talks.

In a letter dated July 19, they invited other criminal organizations to join the cease-fire and seek peace now that a new leftist government will be coming to power which has said it will work to bring an end to 60 years of armed conflict.

“We cannot be indifferent to the clamor of the Colombian people and the wishes of their democratically elected president in order to achieve the longed-for peace with social justice," said the letter signed by six illegal armed groups, including the Clan del Golfo, the Caparros and the Rastrojos.

"We are willing to engage in dialogue and reconcile with the objective of stopping the cyclical violence that some of us control," it said.

New Foreign Minister Alvaro Leyva responded on Thursday to the letter, saying the Petro government wants to seek peace with all illegal groups.

“Of course there will be talks. Of course there will. They know that. And I reiterate it through all the microphones: There will be talks, and we will seek total peace," said Leyva, adding “we are not going to exclude anyone.”

Although the feared Clan del Golfo has become the dominant criminal force in Colombia, a split in its leadership has weakened it. Its former leader -- Dairo Antonio Usuga, aka Otoniel -- was extradited to the US on May 4 on drug trafficking charges. ​​​​​​​

Usuga, who has pleaded not guilty, was Colombia’s most wanted drug lord before he was captured in October 2021 following a massive military operation. Otoniel shipped "outrageous quantities of cocaine into the United States" while leading the Clan from 2003 until he was arrested.