Colombia to maintain combating medicine, felony teams amid drive for complete peace By Reuters

By Luis Jaime Acosta

BOGOTA (Reuters) – Colombia’s safety forces will sustain their offensive towards drug traffickers and unlawful armed teams, whilst President Gustavo Petro pushes for “complete peace” within the Andean nation, Protection Minister Ivan Velasquez instructed Reuters.

Petro, who took workplace in August as Colombia’s first left-wing president, has outlined plans to advance negotiations with guerrilla teams such because the Nationwide Liberation Military (ELN) and two dissident factions of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) who reject a 2016 peace take care of the federal government.

Drug traffickers and felony gangs concerned in cocaine manufacturing and trafficking may obtain advantages equivalent to decreased jail sentences for submitting themselves to justice, sharing particulars about trafficking routes, and turning over their fortunes.

“The armed forces and the nationwide police proceed to keep up their presence and operations, there have been no strikes on the contrary,” Velasquez instructed Reuters in an interview over the weekend.

Members of unlawful armed teams will face authorized penalties if they don’t adjust to the situations of the federal government’s “complete peace” plan after they enroll, Velasquez mentioned.

Colombia’s armed battle, which is sort of six many years outdated, has left not less than 450,000 useless. The entire armed teams concerned within the battle are linked to drug trafficking, in line with safety and authorities sources.

“Simply because drug traffickers say they’ll be a part of the peace course of, it does not meant that we’ll cease finishing up the mandatory actions to repress drug trafficking,” mentioned Velasquez.

If drug traffickers accede to the peace deal, Colombia’s navy will instantly occupy their territories to cease different teams changing them, Velasquez mentioned.

“We will not go away empty areas, we will not go away territories to the whims of occupation by new actors,” he mentioned.

Colombia’s authorities can be engaged on a plan for farmers to voluntarily eradicate crops of coca – the principle ingredient in cocaine – for brand new crops, in addition to funding in infrastructure, schooling and well being.

The USA will proceed to be Colombia’s chief ally within the battle towards drug trafficking, Velasquez mentioned.