DATE : 7.5.2004
SUBJECT : War, Human Rights, Economic Opportunity, Disease !

Colombia's feared rightwing paramilitaries, responsible for some of the nation’s worst atrocities over the last two decades, began formal peace negotiations with the government last week amid widespread skepticism. Although the paramilitary umbrella organization, the United Self Defense Forces of Colombia, or AUC, officially declared a ceasefire in late 2002, hundreds of people have been killed by its members since then. "The United Self Defense Forces of Colombia are taking a definitive step toward total peace," pronounced paramilitary commander Salvatore Mancuso.” If successful, the talks could lead to a shift in the balance of Colombia's 40-year civil war, and about 20,000 armed fighters being demobilized. The paramilitaries prided themselves on fighting off the Marxist Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) rebels when government troops did not have the means. Now that the president, Alvaro Uribe, has stiffened the anti-rebel fight, the AUC say they are redundant and want to return to civilian life and create a political movement. The process has been complicated by allegations that some AUC warlords are heavily involved in the drugs trade. Half of the the AUC's negotiators have been branded large-scale traffickers by the US, and Mancuso has been indicted. Many more of the AUC negotiators, Colombian intelligence sources say, are known to control important drug trafficking routes out of Colombia, the world's largest source of cocaine. But the commanders will be protected from Colombian arrest warrants and US extradition requests while they negotiate. "There are groups with the AUC that are clearly drug traffickers and simply try to present themselves as counter-insurgents to try to get the benefits that would be awarded through some kind of negotiation process," said Daniel García-Peña, a political analyst.

Do you think that regardless of allegations of major links to drug trafficking by high-ranking members of the AUC, and continued lethal violence by AUC even after it declared a cease fire, that negotiations between the paramilitary group and Colombian government should continue in an attempt to bring peace and normal governing authority to Columbia?