Colombia's 99 Disarmed Guerrillas Face

In mid-June, 99 guerrilla fighters handed over their weapons to the Colombian government. This act, part of former President Gustavo Petro's 'total peace' plan, occurred just three days before a presidential runoff won by the far-right lawyer Abelardo de la Espriella, who promised to end the policy.

Now, several weeks into the new administration, the former combatants do not know what will happen to them. They reside in a government-controlled Temporary Location Zone (ZUT), under surveillance and unable to leave.

Life in Limbo

“We’re in limbo,” said Natalia Bríñez, 29, one of 13 women in the group. The former guerrillas live in beige brick buildings they decorated themselves. They have a communal dining hall and an improvised football pitch. Most spend their days on their phones.

President de la Espriella has said his government will no longer negotiate peace agreements and has not announced plans for the ZUT. In theory, arrest warrants against the group are suspended, and they remain under state protection until 25 December, when Petro's decree expires. However, the new president could revoke that decree at any time.

Armando Novoa, the former official who led negotiations, warned of a worst-case scenario. “That would be a crime against humanity, because these people are unarmed,” he said.

A Fragile Transition

The group was supposed to receive financial support of about £425 a month, which had not yet been paid. Some were planning to start a chicken-rearing business. Bríñez, who has a seven-year-old daughter and a 10-year-old son, finds being away from her children the hardest part. She will only see them in person once her 'transition' is complete.

The 99 were a small part of a larger armed faction called the National Coordinator of the Bolivarian Army (CNEB), which controls the border with Ecuador. The Petro administration said negotiations were also under way with other CNEB members, who published an open letter to de la Espriella expressing willingness to talk. It is not known if he responded.

Last Wednesday, de la Espriella ordered the extradition to the US of the CNEB's chief 'peace negotiator', Geovany Andrés Rojas, known as 'Araña', for drug trafficking.

Why 'Total Peace' Failed

Petro's 'total peace' was an attempt to address what the landmark 2016 peace deal failed to resolve. However, his administration failed to reduce violence, which instead reached its worst levels in a decade. The 99 were the only group to reach the disarmament stage.

“They told us: ‘If this works, you’re opening the door for other groups and will set an example,’” said Bríñez. Some security experts saw the agreement as rushed. “It was a somewhat irresponsible decision,” said Paula Tobo, a senior researcher at the Ideas for Peace Foundation.

Tobo said the 99 are in a “legal limbo” because their protection rests on revocable decrees. Under current law, anyone who has committed crimes such as kidnapping or drug trafficking is not eligible for amnesty. “The previous administration clearly put them at risk,” Tobo said.

The group wrote a letter to de la Espriella reaffirming its commitment to peace and inviting him to visit the ZUT. It had received no response.

The youngest member, a 19-year-old identified only as Adrián, said they want “to have a home, a family.” He also knows what he will do if things fail. “Honestly, I’d take up arms again, because we’re keeping our side of the bargain and the government should do the same, shouldn’t it?”