Colombia Suspends Ceasefire With Drug Cartel
BarronsMar 19, 2023
The Facts
Colombian President Gustavo Petro has suspended a ceasefire with the Gulf Clan, the main drug trafficking cartel in the country.
In a tweet on Sunday, Petro announced that he was ordering "the security forces to resume all military operations against the Gulf Clan," citing harassment and attacks on people in northwest Columbia that have allegedly been carried out by the group over the last fortnight.
The Spin
Narrative A
Petro's ceasefire and "total peace" plans to end decades of violence in Columbia were idealistic and ambitious but ultimately unsuccessful. These ideas ran into issues almost immediately and the ceasefire has since been continuously broken by the armed groups who signed it. Petro must use Columbia's security forces to aggressively quash criminal dissenters and violent armed groups like the Gulf Clan.
Narrative B
While it is disappointing that the Gulf Clan violated the ceasefire initiated by Petro's government, there is still hope for these peace plans. Negotiations over the truce will not happen while violence and crime continue, but if the Gulf Clan chooses to stop their unlawful actions the talks could resume. The ball is now in their court.