Ex‑guerrilla fighters in Colombia fear reprisals under new hardline president

In mid‑June, a helicopter delivered 99 guerrilla fighters to a remote settlement in southern Colombia, where they surrendered rifles, pistols, machine guns and grenade launchers to government officials and burned their tactical gear in a symbolic bonfire. The disarmament, part of the “Total Peace” initiative launched by the outgoing administration, represents a fraction of the roughly 30,000 combatants who have been active in the country’s six‑decade‑long internal conflict that has claimed close to half a million lives.

President Abelardo De la Espriella, who took office after the previous government’s peace push, has publicly rejected further peace agreements, arguing that the limited results of the “Total Peace” plan demonstrate its ineffectiveness. While the recent surrender underscores a modest step toward demilitarization, the new administration’s stance signals a shift toward a more security‑focused approach, leaving the broader prospects for ending Colombia’s armed struggle uncertain.