The head of the Defense portfolio, Iván Velásquez, indicated that a possible area is being discussed for the concentration of the illegal organizations that took refuge in “total peace.”
The minister said that a “georeferencing with the location of the structures” has already been carried out. Following this, he stated that for the Military Forces this space would be important not only for the bilateral cessation to work, but also because “it can be protective” against confrontations between different armed groups.
“It can also mean protection against attacks that, given the very complex circumstances in which we find ourselves due to a crossover of violence between these organizations, it is the obligation of the Military Forces to protect the population, but also to combat organizations that are not within the cessation and that they are in confrontation with other groups that are in the process of cessation; We have been examining all this complexity and adopting measures ”, he explained.
Regarding whether it will be a space for relaxation, similar to the one the FARC had in San Vicente del Caguan, Iván Velásquez explained that it will not work like that and that the authorities will continue to be present in the areas in question.
At the same time, it contemplated the implementation of “pedagogical and communicative actions” that contribute to the recognition of the quality of victims of “minors recruited or used” in the conflict, and of the recommendations issued by the Ombudsman’s Office in relation to this phenomenon.
He also recalled that “the bilateral ceasefire must be conditional on compliance with certain rules and commitments.”
Iván Velásquez stated that the “protocols are of a confidential nature”, but stressed that during their elaboration the high commands of the Military Forces and the National Police, officials of the Ministry of Defense and intermediaries of the illegal organizations that availed themselves of the “total peace” initiative. “Under those protocols (…) we are issuing specific instructions,” he added.
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The concept of prosecutor Barbosa
After the meeting between the Attorney General of the Nation, Francisco Barbosa, and the President of the Republic, Gustavo Petro, the head of the accusing body took the opportunity to publicize his position on some points of the “total peace” proposal of the Government.
One of them has to do precisely with the possible area of concentration, for which Barbosa indicated that he welcomes the creation of these areas of armed groups in certain sectors of the country because it would be very useful to have them in specific territories and thus know where they are. instead of being dispersed throughout the national territory.
The prosecutor added that “it seems to me that it is a better idea than the absence of a territorial delimitation. If they tell me that they are going to make a decision to concentrate them on specifically clear bases, for me, as attorney general, there would be no problems”.
He also took the opportunity to clarify that these concentration zones must have strict control by the national government and the Public Forces, “which also, as the commander of the Military Forces has stated on several occasions, would be important not only for that bilateral cessation to be effective, to avoid clashes or confrontation between illegal structures and Military Forces, but also what protection against attacks can mean. We have been analyzing all the complexity and adopting measures so that the bilateral cessation fulfills its objective”.
Public Order Law
In accordance with the Law of Public Order “The National Government or the representatives expressly authorized by it, may agree with the spokespersons or representative members of the illegal armed organizations, in an advanced state of the peace process, and to For the purposes of this article, its temporary location or that of its members in precise and certain areas of the national territory, if deemed appropriate.
Within the same reform processed by the national government, it is indicated: “In the aforementioned areas, the execution of arrest warrants will be suspended, including arrest warrants for extradition purposes, against these and the other members of the armed group organized on the fringes. of the law, as well as during the course of the displacement towards them until the Government so determines or declares that said process has culminated”.