Colombia’s biggest criminal organization has suspended talks after President Gustavo Petro pledged to target its leader Chiquito Malo.
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The Colombian government has announced that it will resume peace talks with the powerful Gulf power, also known as the Gaitanist Self-Defense Forces (ECG). This is because criminal organizations have expressed concerns about the recent agreement with the United States.
Tuesday’s announcement addresses a suspension announced by the Gulf Clan earlier this month following a meeting between Colombian President Gustavo Petro and U.S. President Donald Trump.
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In the face of U.S. pressure to crack down on drug cartels, Petro agreed to prioritize three “kingpins” the government deemed “high-level targets.”
One of those targets was Jovis de Jesús Avila Villadiego, the leader of the Gulf clan known as Chiquito Malo.
Gulf states responded by suspending talks with the Petro government until the scope of its actions was clarified.
In a joint statement on Tuesday, the two countries said they had “overcome” all obstacles to talks.
The two leaders also explained that ongoing talks will be mediated by the Catholic Church and the governments of Qatar, Spain, Norway and Switzerland.
The Gulf Clan is one of several armed groups fighting for control of territory as part of Colombia’s 60-year civil war, which pits criminal gangs, left-wing rebels, government forces and right-wing militias against each other.
With about 9,000 fighters, the Gulf Clan is considered one of the country’s largest cartels. The United States designated the organization as a “foreign terrorist organization” in December.
President Trump urged the Petro government to take more aggressive measures against drug trafficking overall. In January, Petro said he needed to “watch his attitude” and even threatened to attack Colombia.
But relations between the two leaders have cooled in recent weeks, particularly since Petro’s visit to the White House on February 3.
Previously, the Colombian government had taken a more military approach to dealing with internal conflicts. Colombia has long been considered the United States’ greatest ally in the global “war on drugs.”
But Petro, who took office in 2022, sought to take a different approach by bringing armed groups and criminal networks to the negotiating table under a program called “Total Peace.”
However, peace talks have faced a series of setbacks, particularly following the outbreak of new violence.
In January, for example, Mr. Petro granted himself emergency powers after violence erupted near the Venezuelan border between various armed groups, including the National Liberation Army (ELN).
The violence led to the suspension of peace talks with the ELN.
Petro, the country’s first leftist president, is also under pressure from the right to ensure justice is served on behalf of victims of drug trafficking.
The Colombian government has repeatedly rejected claims that it is not doing enough to stop drug trafficking in the country, historically the world’s largest producer of cocaine.
Petro points to historic drug busts, including the seizure of 14 tons of cocaine in November, as evidence of the government’s effectiveness.
Criminal networks and other groups have long fought to gain control of drug trafficking routes.
These clashes increased dramatically after a peace agreement was reached in 2016 with the leftist rebel group Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), which agreed to disarm.
The group’s dissolution has created a power vacuum that other drug lords are trying to fill.
How to deal with Colombia’s ongoing internal conflict is expected to be a key issue in May’s elections, when the country will elect a new president. Petro is not included in the vote because he is limited by law to one consecutive term.
