Colombia's disarmed ex-guerrillas face uncertain future under hardline new president
Ninety-nine former Colombian guerrillas who surrendered their weapons in June under ex-president Petro's peace plan now live in limbo as new hardline President de la Espriella vows to end negotiations with armed groups.
In mid-June, 99 guerrilla fighters in southern Colombia handed over their weapons — rifles, pistols, machine guns and grenade launchers — and burned their combat uniforms, marking what was meant to be the start of civilian life under former president Gustavo Petro's 'total peace' plan, which aimed to disarm all of the country's criminal groups, estimated to number around 30,000 members combined.
However, this small group was the only one to actually disarm, doing so just three days before the presidential runoff. That vote was won by far-right lawyer Abelardo de la Espriella, who campaigned on ending 'total peace' and returning to a hardline approach of jailing or killing members of armed groups.
Weeks into his term, and as his government deals with the aftermath of a 7.4-magnitude earthquake while already carrying out promised airstrikes against criminal groups, the fate of the 99 former fighters remains unclear. They are housed in a government-controlled transitional zone under military guard, unable to leave, awaiting a civilian transition process that includes vocational training and psychosocial support.
Uncertainty and risk
The former official who led negotiations with the group warned that in the worst-case scenario, the new government could shut down the zone and launch an operation to capture or kill the unarmed former fighters, which he called a potential crime against humanity. Although arrest warrants against the group are technically suspended until 25 December, the president could revoke the underlying decree at any time.
Promised financial support of roughly £425 a month has not yet been paid, prompting some members to consider starting a chicken-rearing business instead. Experts say the group faces a legal vacuum, since Congress has rejected all government proposals for a formal framework governing their transition to civilian life.
The group sent a letter to the new president reaffirming its commitment to peace and inviting him to visit, but has received no response. The youngest member, a 19-year-old, said that if the government fails to hold up its end of the deal, he would consider taking up arms again.
