
“Socalj” for Borderland Beat
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On July 23, 2023, Colombian President Gustavo Petro, appointed paramilitary leader Salvatore Mancuso as “peace manager” to negotiate with one of the country’s largest drug cartels, the Clan de Golfo. Mancuso, an infamous narco trafficker and human rights violator, is a convicted US and Colombian felon. In Colombia, Mancuso was found guilty in more than 1,500 cases of murder or forced disappearances. In the United States, Mancuso was convicted, and is currently in prison, for drug trafficking.
Mancuso also faces charges in Italy. Hundreds of other criminal investigations are pending against him. Italy and Colombia do not have an extradition treaty.
In 2008, then-President Álvaro Uribe abruptly extradited Mancuso and 13 other paramilitary commanders to face drug charges in the US. It is expected that Petro will seek the extradition of Mancuso back to Colombia.
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Letter from Senator Rubio
I write with concern over the ongoing effort to ensure accountability and justice for human rights abuses in Colombia. As you know, both right-wing paramilitary groups and left-wing terrorist organizations have been responsible for thousands of human rights abuses in Colombia for several decades. There has been consistent bipartisan support in the United States and Colombia for investigating those responsible in order to support peace and reconciliation in Colombia. Recent events in Colombia, however, may undermine this search for accountability and justice for these abuses.
Last month, Colombian President Gustavo Petro announced the appointment of several Colombians to be “peace managers” to handle negotiations with armed groups as part of his “Total Peace” plan. Among these is Salvatore Mancuso, the former commander of the United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia (AUC), who will allegedly handle negotiations with Clan de Golfo, the country’s largest drug cartel which emerged from one of the remnants of the demobilized AUC.