The president of Colombia, Gustavo Petro, ended peace negotiations on Tuesday with one of the country’s main guerrillas, led by “Calarcá”, which practically burying his peace policy to end the last armed conflict on the continent.
The leftist president had been holding talks since 2023 with Calarcá, leader of the General Staff of Blocks, one of the largest dissidents of the extinct FARC guerrilla that did not accept the 2016 peace agreement.
This same Tuesday, the largest armed drug trafficking organization ruled out a peace agreement with Petro, who will end his four-year term on August 7.
Both negotiations were the main banners of Total Peace, a plan designed by the first left-wing president of the world’s largest producer of cocaine to achieve the disarmament of all armed groups.
Calarcá, for his part, continued attacking the public force and civilians in the areas where his guerrilla operatesmainly on the border with Venezuela and in the Amazon.
One of its main sources of financing is deforestation to make way for livestock, as well as drug trafficking, extortion and illegal mining.
Petro assured in a meeting with his ministers broadcast on social networks that he asked the presidential peace advisor, Otty Patiño, to stop these negotiations. “If Mr. Calarcá broke the agreements not to burn the jungle and dedicated himself to killing soldiers, then there is no peace. What else are we going to do?” he said.
“I would like peace, but peace has to be made on serious bases, not on lies,” he added.
No options
Earlier, the lawyer for the Clan del Golfo, the country’s main drug trafficking cartel, ruled out that the talks with the government will end in the signing of a peace agreement.
Less than four months before his term ends, Almost all processes have faced ruptures, suspensions or little progress.
Petro also tried to agree to an end to the conflict with the National Liberation Army (ELN) guerrilla group, the oldest on the continent, but those negotiations broke down after an attack by the rebels on the border that left more than 100 dead at the beginning of last year.
“Hitler is alive again”, Gustavo Petro alludes to the extreme right
Likewise with another FARC dissident led by alias Iván Mordisco. The most wanted guerrilla in the country decided to get up from the table and increased his attacks with car bombs and drones.
Analysts estimate that the armed groups were strengthened during the Total Peace, highly criticized by the opposition, former presidents and retired military personnel in a country with more than six decades of armed conflict.
Petro faced pressure from US President Donald Trump, who imposed sanctions on him for allegedly making little effort to stop drug trafficking. (YO)
