A criminal organization known as ‘Los Pepes,’ which operates in the coastal city of Barranquilla and its surrounding metropolitan area, has become the first armed group to formally request negotiations with the government led by President Abelardo De La Espriella.
According to a letter exclusively obtained by the newspaper El Tiempo, the group’s leaders, Digno Palomino and Aldair Montenegro, submitted the document to the presidential palace on August 31. Copies were also sent to Justice Minister Iván Cancino, Senator Enrique Gómez Martínez, and Attorney General Luz Adriana Camargo.
In the letter, the gang expresses its willingness to submit to Colombian justice, cooperate with truth-telling efforts, compensate victims of its crimes, and commit to peace and reconciliation. The leaders also announced a unilateral halt to their criminal activities as a show of good faith.
This kind of proposal follows a legal framework used in Colombia that allows armed or criminal groups to surrender in exchange for reduced sentences, provided they contribute to justice and reparations—a mechanism previously used with former guerrilla and paramilitary groups.
To formalize the process, ‘Los Pepes’ has appointed attorney Angélica María Martínez Cujar as its official spokesperson and mediator with the government.
For the full exclusive report, visit El Tiempo’s original article.
Source: Exclusivo: carta de 'Los Pepes', primera banda que levanta la mano para sometimiento con gobierno De La Espriella (eltiempo.com). English version produced with AI assistance.
Image: Fishlake National Forest Photography, PDM 1.0 (via Openverse).