Colombia’s Congress passed a bill Tuesday linking sentence reductions for members of illegal armed groups to disarmament and cooperation, marking a shift in the country’s approach to peace negotiations.
The proposal, introduced by President Abelardo De La Espriella, won 57-24 in the Senate and 95-10 in the House of Representatives, Reuters reported. Both chambers voted in sessions that ran into late Tuesday, Nov. 3.
To qualify for reductions, members would have to give up their weapons, identify other group members and surrender property. They would also need to disclose political connections and corruption networks, help locate missing people, and turn over minors recruited or kidnapped by their organizations. Sentence cuts could take as much as 50% off for members and 30% off for commanders, but leaders would have to serve at least 10 years.
The measure would keep arrest warrants active and preserve extradition and law enforcement operations. During his campaign, De La Espriella pledged to end talks with leftist guerrillas and criminal gangs and use the military against them, Reuters reported. His government says ceasefires and pauses in arrest warrants under former President Gustavo Petro gave armed groups room to recruit and strengthen their control of areas tied to drug trafficking and illegal mining.
Petro acknowledged that his “total peace” initiative had not fully met its goal, while pointing to falling homicides. Colombia’s Ministry of Defense counted 15,120 members of illegal armed groups at the end of 2022 and about 28,802 in July 2026.
Gustavo Petro resumed negotiations with the National Liberation Army in late 2022, seeking to end Colombia’s six-decade conflict. The country’s first leftist president had previously belonged to the M-19 guerrilla group. Reuters reported that the conflict has killed more than 450,000 people. Final approval rests with De La Espriella, whose signature would turn the bill into law.
