Former Colombian President Ernesto Samper (1994-1998) has urged the narco-paramilitary group Clan del Golfo to adhere to the «total peace» proposal promoted by the country’s current president, Gustavo Petro, in fulfillment of one of his star promises during the election campaign.
«I call on the armed actors, especially the ‘Clan del Golfo’, to adhere to this proposal of ‘total peace’ and to formulate what their demands, aspirations and guarantees are that they need to advance in these agreements,» said Samper.
The former president has highlighted the value of the government’s proposal, which, he says, seeks to promote peace in the country as a whole, but especially in those territories where there has been an upsurge in the armed conflict in recent times, according to Colombian radio station RCN Radio.
Samper has intervened this Friday in an event on humanitarian and peace conditions in the department of Córdoba, where he shared space with the head of the United Nations Verification Mission in Colombia, Carlos Ruiz Massieu.
Thus, Ruiz Massieu addressed the situation in the region, and took the opportunity to warn about the increase in forced recruitment by armed groups, as well as the increase in violence against women.
During the electoral campaign for the Presidency of Colombia, Petro proposed to implement a ‘total peace’ that would promote the initiation of peace dialogues with armed and political organizations, such as the dissidents of the extinct Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) or the National Liberation Army (ELN).
In mid-October, the Colombian House of Representatives gave the «green light» to the bill enabling the Colombian president to begin negotiations with the country’s various armed groups.
The so-called ‘total peace’ thus becomes law, so that successor governments to Petro’s will be obliged to keep the negotiations in force and comply with the agreements reached.
