Colombian President Abelardo de la Espriella has definitively terminated the 'Total Peace' strategy championed by his predecessor, Gustavo Petro, declaring an end to negotiations with various illegal armed groups. This move marks a significant shift in the country's security policy, with de la Espriella emphasizing that peace cannot be a refuge for criminals or a mechanism for impunity. The decision follows his electoral campaign promise to adopt a tougher stance against criminality.
As part of this policy reversal, President de la Espriella has signed extradition orders for five leaders of criminal and guerrilla groups to the United States. These extraditions had been approved by the Colombian government in 2025 but were frozen under Petro's administration while the individuals participated in peace talks. The five individuals targeted for extradition include Wilington Henao Gutierrez, alias "Mocho Olmedo" (FARC dissidents); Carmen Evelio Castillo Carrillo, alias "Muñeca" (Los Pachenca); and Giovanny Andrés Rojas, alias "Araña" (Comandos de Frontera). Two others, Gabriel Yepes Mejía, alias "H. H.," and Fredy Castillo Carrillo, alias "Pinocho," remain fugitives. The U.S. seeks these individuals for offenses such as drug trafficking, money laundering, conspiracy, and narco-terrorism.
De la Espriella's administration has explicitly stated that negotiating tables will no longer serve to indefinitely suspend judicial action. The president asserted that those genuinely seeking to abandon violence would have a legal pathway, but those linked to organized crime would face the full force of the state and justice system. This decision effectively dismantles the previous administration's peace efforts, which a report from the Fundación Ideas para la Paz (FIP) criticized for yielding "more costs than gains" and failing to achieve objectives such as consistent decline in violence or the transition of armed groups into legality. The FIP noted that the number of armed group members increased by nearly 90% from December 2022 to July 2026, reaching 28,802.
